Cinderella Vampire
by worldreminiscence
Summary: Everyone knows the story of Cinderella. But what if we add some twists in her situations.. and personality? And what if the prince charming that was supposed to be a gentleman isn't really a gentleman but a gentle vampire? AU. Shiki x Rima. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1: Maid

A/N: Hello! :] This is Terru! How is everyone doing? Anyway, I was inspired by a buddy here in FanFiction by her great fanfics! Check out **Lingeron**'s profile and if u're La Corda D'Oro fans, u'll LOVE her stories. I'm sorry the first chapter is short. Also this will have few chapters but not that many, and it's for **TouyaRima24**! Belated, as in REALLY belated Happy Birthday! I'm sorry if it came out not that good T^T but I did my best! Also not beta-ed.. Please enjoy reading!^^ and anyone is welcome to leave a review :D (P.S. I'm sorry if my sense of humor is outdated.. T^T)

* * *

Chapter 1:

Once a princess, now a maid

Once upon a time, there was a story of a young rich lady who lost her father at the age of seven. Her stepmother who her father remarried took her in but she wasn't nice to her at all, together with her two daughters, they only treated her as their maid. And from the rich young girl she was, turned into a poor maid serving her stepmother and two stepsisters. But she was a very sweet and loving lady that she always forgave them no matter what they did to her. Then one day, a ball party was announced all over the whole city, and every maiden were invited.

She dearly wished to go but her evil stepmother and stepsisters wouldn't let her, and so she was left all alone that night of the party. Suddenly, a fairy godmother appeared before her and granted her wish to go to the ball. But there was a time limit, she must leave the party before twelve o'clock midnight because the magic will disappear and she'd be back to the poor young lady she was.

When she met the prince, they both fell in love at first sight. They wanted the time to stop for only both of them but it flew fast instead. She had to leave the prince and so she ran away from the ball party as fast as she could.

Several days had passed and a new announcement was declared. They were looking for the maiden whom the prince met and fell in love with, that night.

Then he found her. With the help of the crystal glass shoe that only matched her small foot's size. And they lived happily ever after.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Applying this magical story in modern life, a sixteen-year-old, orange haired girl named Rima Touya had a very similar situation as Cinderella had. That, except for her attitude which was far from Cinderella's loving personality and the ending which she didn't know about yet... And here she was, innocently scrubbing the floor of her own house, until it would become clean and shiny as ever. She knew that her stepmother and two stepsisters would start nagging again if they didn't see the tiles get very shiny like a jewel stone. Ahh how she really wanted to rest and eat her favorite snack, pocky.

Scrubbing the floor harder, Rima imagined that boxes of pockies were waiting for her in her room. _Wait for me, pocky, I'll be finished here soon. _Thinking that after few more scrubs, she'd be done, suddenly a cat of mixed black, white, orange, brown and ..pink? color ran past the floor with a mud in its paws. Rima widened her eyes and glared at the cat. _Wait, pink?_

_Scratch that.._ ".. Ahh! You.. Stupid.. rainbow cat, wait!" Rima threw away the dirty towel she was just holding a while ago and ran after the cat. Why was it that everyone and almost everything in that house was evil? Her stepmother, two stepsisters, their cat perhaps, and then the furniture which had no cooperation whenever she cleaned them that after just one hour would be full of dirt again. Little did she know that it was her two stepsisters' schemes.

After moments of running after the cat, Rima found herself huffing out. She was so going to get that damn cat pay for what it did. But, she couldn't find the rainbow cat anywhere.

"Why is there a cat in here anyway?" Rima asked herself while looking around. Oh she's had enough. She would go scrub the floor again later, for now, she only wanted to get a taste of her pocky. After all, her stepmother and two stepsisters wouldn't be coming home soon. Or so she thought.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Arriving back at home, Rima's stepmother, Nanri opened the door to their castle-like house. Her two daughters; Hanari and Nanami following her. Normally, a maid slacking on her job would be the one to welcome their arrival but this time, not a slacking maid but an even worse welcome to them; a floor full of mud-steps of ..dog's prints? Cat's prints?

Nanri's face turned red in madness and exhaustion. There was only one person in her mind that time and she was absolutely going to double her jobs and give her a punishment she deserved.

"Riimaaaaaa!"

The way Nanri called Rima was creepy enough to make her choked on her snack. She coughed few times and covered her mouth with her palm. "Oh no, they came back earlier than I thought."

**To be continued..**

* * *

How was it everyone? I hope it was ok x] I swear, I had fun writing this fanfic with the fact that it's Shiki and Rima story XD Please let me know if u spot errors! ^^ I'd appreciate it a lot.

Well then, have a good day and good night! :D

~Terru


	2. Chapter 2: Prince

A/N: Hello again! Thank u **ooamekiko** for reading and reviewing! And also thank u to those who read this even though they don't review! x] This is not beta-ed. I reread and did the editing, sorry if it isn't that good T^T anyway, I hope u enjoy!^^ Anyone is welcome to leave a review and advices or ideas :]

* * *

Chapter 2:

Meeting the prince

Rima Touya, orange-haired, sixteen-year-old, once rich, now poor, a girl and...wait, getting to the point; she was now jailed in a very young age, at least that was how it felt to her even though it was only a mere punishment. Heaving a small sigh, she looked at the locked door of some barn she was put into. She regretted not bringing her pocky with her when she went outside of the attic room and headed towards her devil stepmother. She should have known. _Stupid pig guards.._

"Ugh, why am I letting them do this to me?" Rima mentally slapped her forehead. As if she didn't know the answer to that question.. Of course, she was going to follow their orders because, after all, when her father died, they took her in, just.. not as a member of the family but as a maid. Ouch. And she didn't bother thinking of escaping, knowing that it'd be useless. Where would she go to anyway? She couldn't imagine life outside that hellish house. It could be more and way more hellish out there.

Rima was sitting on the ground with legs stretched out in front. At least, she had the time now to relax. Oh. Rima blinked her eyes few times. Maybe it wasn't that bad she was there now. She didn't have to do anything! How could she not realized that? Ah but.. she was still locked.

As Rima tilted her head to the side looking at the locked door again, she carefully stood up and dragged herself towards it. Lifting her right hand and tracing the lock with her delicate finger, a spark was suddenly created and the lock opened.

"Huh?" Rima blinked her eyes few times before realizing that she was freed from the barn or whatever that place was called.

Throwing the lock to the side, she opened the door and saw the garden right next to her. The barn was just beside a wall which had vines clinging on it. She smirked and looked up at the blue sky. The good weather seemed to be with her. She wouldn't go back inside the house for the meantime, maybe she would just enjoy the free time she had. What a rare chance!

"Hm, now now, what should we do? ..Ah my pocky.. They better not touch it," Rima's blood rushed up to her head. The thought of her pocky being devoured by the lioness and her two cubs was intolerable. While being swallowed by her thoughts of her favorite snack, a sneaky sound behind her startled her. She quickly turned to the direction where she thought she heard something. Staring at the wall, she kept an impassive face.

A minute passed and she was now wondering what was beyond that wall. And as she was about to try climbing up by using the thick vines as support below her, a young man suddenly popped out from the other side of wall which made her step back down to the ground. The young man was climbing up and trying to enter the territory of the lion family. But he didn't seem to notice her and so he jumped to where Rima was standing. She widened her eyes and as if in a slow motion, she opened her mouth trying to say something.

"Wai-" too late, the young man already landed on her.

Rima whimpered when she hit her head on the ground, luckily it wasn't too hard. Bastard, who was that guy? Rima was about to scold him but she saw his face panicking.

"Quick, hide me. Where do I hide?" The young man asked her hurriedly and looked at her.

"What?" Rima's eyebrow knitted together in confusion.

"Just, hide me!"

Rima didn't like the tone on his voice and she didn't even know who he was, where he came from and why was he there. Why would she hide him? Who knew, he could be a criminal, thief, or a murderer. Wait..then at times like this, she should shout and call to her stepmother and two stepsisters even though they were bound to punish her once again if they knew she was freed. But..

That was it, Rima pushed him off of her and swiftly stood up.

"Cri-mi-na-!" Rima was about to shout 'criminal' when the young man covered her mouth with his hand.

Next thing she realized was she was being pulled inside the barn again. _Am I going to be killed?_ Rima thought as she was still silenced by him and only his breathe could be heard in the silence. They were sitting now, the young man behind Rima spread his legs to accommodate her form. And it wasn't too long that Rima heard bunch of girls calling for _prince._

'Prince? Ah... so that's how it is,' Rima thought to herself.

When their steps and voices slowly disappeared along with the gust of wind, Rima was finally freed. The stranger sighed which she didn't know whether a sigh of relief or despair.

"Finally.. Those girls left," the young man mumbled, more likely to himself.

"Huh. So you're not a criminal or a thief, just a poor _prince_ who was being run after by some bunch of _fangirls_." Rima rolled her eyes as she emphasized the term prince and his fangirls.

"What?" the young man raised one of his eyebrow.

Rima brushed off his hand which was resting on her shoulder then she stood up and turned to him only to shot a glare. The prince only looked at her in question.

"How did you get near this castle-like house? I think this place was far enough from any neighborhood. It is forest here, you know?" Rima asked.

"Seriously?" the prince was dumb-founded.

"Huh?" Rima looked annoyed.

"You wouldn't scream Kyaa like a fangirl or you wouldn't drool over me?" he asked.

Rima's jaw dropped to the ground-if it could really land until ground-. She had never met someone so sarcastic and narcissist, well aside from her two stepsisters, that is.

"Had you..by any chance, hit your head on the wall?" Rima returned a question instead. _Who is he to talk like that, he is so full of himself, did he honestly think that all girls would be his fangirl or drool over him? What an idiot guy. _

The prince widened his eyes for a second but then turned back to normal, never had he met a girl who'd talk to him like she did. Never-well, aside from his mother-. And now he couldn't help himself but to chuckle. He was beyond amused by the girl's reaction. He then stopped chuckling and looked up to stare at her as he smiled. Which.. only freaked Rima out even more.

_First he was being narcissist then now he was laughing and smiling. He's not only an idiot but a crazy one too_.

**To be continued..**

* * *

I hope it was ok! x]

Have fun and good day and good night to everyone!

~Terru


	3. Chapter 3: Nightmare

A/N: Hello again! YEY I'm SO happy to know that this fic is appreciated! x] Thank u **ooamekiko**, **TouyaRima24** and **BlackNeonAngel** for reviewing! :] Also thank u for adding this to ur story alerts! Also (Thank You for reading this fic even if you don't review!) That means a lot to me already. Well then, this is the update! I'm sorry if it's a little boring but it was needed to clear some things up. I hope u all enjoy reading! Anyone is welcome to leave a review, ideas or advices!^^

**Disclaimer:** I forgot to add this to the 1st and 2nd Chapter BUT everyone knows this anime/manga is NOT mine. All credits belong to Hino Matsuri-sensei. The weird idea of Cinderella that popped out in my head is the only thing I own here. :] Oh. Cinderella is NOT mine too.

_

* * *

First he was being narcissist then now he was laughing and smiling. He's not only an idiot but a crazy one too_.

Chapter 3:

The prince of her nightmares

The sun was already up high above their heads, glistening upon the surrounding making the orange-haired girl slit her eyes. _Ugh this is why I hate sun.. I woke up really early today to scrub the floor only to be punished by the lioness, it wasn't even my fault!_

Rima spent her supposed-to-be-relaxing-time interrogating the prince or whoever he really was just so she could satisfy herself.

"So," Rima paused then continued, "you're telling me that you were having this little ball party at your castle since it's your birthday, then suddenly your fangirls squealed when you just flashed a smile at them after giving your speech and then they started to get out of control and climbed up the stage," Rima inhaled then exhaled and continued again, "then you freaked out so you ran away but they wouldn't let you escape, and in every corner you went they could track you down so you decided to run further and thought of this forest and when you saw the palace-like house here, you thought you can hide and get away from them," Rima inhaled deeply and exhaled again as she caught her breathe after repeating the answers she got from this idiot guy earlier and got it all together to make sense. _Seriously, he ran that far? Oh God, he must have had his lungs out of its place now. _

"Yeah, that's how it is," the prince replied shortly.

"What the heck is wrong with your smile that it poisons those girls? I can't understand. You smiled at me earlier but it only freaked me out," Rima bluntly said.

"Wha-" the prince's words were cut off as Rima continued speaking.

"And what's your name? How rude, you said you're a prince yet you don't know how to introduce yourself." Rima raised her eyebrow at him.

"I'm Senri. Senri Shiki," he complied since he knew she was right but he wouldn't admit that.

"Senri Shiki? Weird name," Rima rolled her eyes and an image of a cat popped out suddenly in her mind. She had never seen her stepmother or stepsisters having a cat so whose cat was that? Oh...perhaps...

"Tell me, do you, by any chance, have a cat in your castle?" asked Rima.

"Huh? Well yes. We do have but what's cat has to do wit-" Shiki's words were cut off. Again.

"What color? Black, orange, white, brown and...pink?"

Shiki raised both his eyebrows at her. _How did she know that?_

"You.. Don't tell me.. you're stalking me too! I knew it, you're still sam-" Rima slapped his arm hard enough to make him stop his blabbering. He was just teasing her.. _And_ _that slap hurts.._

"What are you saying? Me, stalking you? No way! I'd rather eat my pocky here than stalk you like an idiot," Rima hissed. Talking with Shiki was like talking to a ten-year-old rich spoiled brat who did nothing but boast how great he was in _everything_. Yes, _everything_. And now she knew who the owner of that stupid rainbow cat. Blood boiled inside her once again.

"Next time... Teach your rainbow cat a proper lesson not to jump into houses especially when it just played in the mud! Got it?" Rima glared at him.

_Rainbow..cat?_ Shiki shook his head to brush off the thought. He felt bad now. His adorable cat wouldn't do something like that, but if it really did, he had to apologize.

"I'm... sorry," Shiki bowed his head a bit.

This seemed to surprise Rima. She hadn't expected him to apologize, neither more did she expect him to bow his head even if it's just slight bow. He was a prince and she was just a mere maid-after her father died, that is-.

Sighing inwardly, Rima nodded her head. She could forgive him, after all, she got to get away from that hellish palace-like house just for a while and it was refreshing. But still, he interrupted her relaxing time and she didn't like it. She also forgot her pocky inside, ugh!

Shiki lifted his head up and looked at the petite girl in front of him. She was looking away as if pouting and it was cute, he honestly thought. _She probably forgave me if she isn't saying anything._ Then his gaze turned to her clothes from her face, it seemed like she was a maid in that place. She was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves folded up to her forearms and a black skirt that ran down until her knees. On top of it was a brown apron. She looked dirty but the curves of her body that was hugged by the dirty clothes was worth it.

_How could a beautiful girl like her be a maid..?_

When he turned his gaze to her face, he saw her widening her eyes at him.

"You..Pervert! Why were you looking at me like that?" Rima snapped. She saw him staring at her while he moved his gaze on her body, she wanted to move but her body froze under his gaze. Which really freaked the hell out of her. _Maybe princes are always meant to be perverts..? After all, they're all good-looking and girls were always after them. Except me, hah, I love my pocky than anything else. Wait... she just admitted to herself that he was indeed good-looking! But either way, she wasn't interested.  
_

"I'm not! I was just wondering if you're a ..maid?" Shiki finally asked.

That stabbed right through her. Yeah, yeah, she was a maid for pocky's sake! Couldn't he just shut up and not ask things like that? He's a rude prince! Rima glared even more at him as she balled her fists.

Honestly.. She'd have punch this idiot guy already if it weren't for the voices the two of them heard. Damn. The fangirls. Rima mentally slapped her forehead.

"Look! Prince Senri's scent is coming from there, oh! There's a barn! Maybe he's in there, let's go!" one of the girls pointed to the barn where both of them were in. This. When Rima and Shiki heard, they both stared at each other for a moment. When would those girls give up? It's creepy!

"Hey maid, we have to hide somewhere else, now. Quick!" Shiki panicked.

"What? Why am I involved? And I have a name!" Rima snarled but too late, Shiki already grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the palace-like house. _Oh no. Not there, no, if those two evil sisters see him, they'd just join the bunch of fangirls. That'd be..the worst._

_AH! Anyway... how worse can today be? _Rima screamed in her mind honestly hoping that today would just end fast already. Or even better if all was just a bad dream. This prince was giving her actual nightmares.

* * *

Wooh! I really had fun writing this XD Hahaha idk why I'm laughing at my outdated humor. T^T But I hope it's ok enough to entertain the readers! :]

Have a good day and good night everyone!

~Terru


	4. Chapter 4: Stepsisters

A/N: Hello! Here's an update :] Thank u so much to the anonymous reviewer: **Idontownafanfiction**(dot)**netaccount** and thank u so much to people who's reading this, favorited it, added to story alert and reviewed. I love u all. This was not beta-ed by someone else. Hopefully, it came out ok enough to entertain the readers! ^^ Anyone is welcome to leave a review, ideas and advices. :D

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own this anime/manga. All credits belong to Hino Matsuri-sensei. The weird idea of Cinderella that popped out in my head is the only thing I own here. :] Oh. Cinderella is NOT mine too..

_

* * *

"Hey maid, we have to hide somewhere else, now. Quick!" Shiki panicked._

_"What? Why am I involved? And I have a name!" Rima snarled but too late, Shiki already grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the palace-like house._ Oh no. Not there, no, if those two evil sisters see him, they'd just join the bunch of fangirls. That'd be..the worst.

AH! Anyway... how worse can today be?_Rima screamed in her mind honestly hoping that today would just end fast already. Or even better if all was just a bad dream. This prince was giving her actual nightmares._

Chapter 4:

The two stepsisters

It took this orange-haired girl some time to realize that the bunch of fangirls were invading the lioness' territory. They were already inside running freely here and there, screaming for the idiot prince's name! Rima widened her eyes as she and Shiki hid behind a huge tree that was near the palace-like house. They ran all the way there and now Rima was watching the bunch of idiots coming nearer and nearer. _Wait.. Where are the guards? And where is my stepmother? _

"Rima, we can't hide here anymore. They'll see us," Shiki said, voice barely above a whisper.

"I know. And it's your fault. Why don't you just go out there and show yourself to them?" Rima hissed silently.

"Don't kid me. I don't want to. My life would be in danger."

"What? Idiot."

"Who's idiot?"

"You."

Before Shiki could reply, Rima covered his mouth with her palm. Maybe they could go inside the house. That way, the fangirls wouldn't be able to enter even if they want to. Slowly, Rima grabbed Shiki's arm and dragged him into the back door of the castle. No sounds of steps were made so they were safe.

Rima, without uncovering Shiki's mouth with her hand, used her other hand to twist the door handle and peeked inside. No sounds. No human presence. Clear. And as fast as she could, she pulled him inside after she threw herself in too.

Alright. They would be safe. Now, she just had to make sure her two stepsisters wouldn't see them. Finally, she pulled away her hand from his face and he gasped in lack of air. Yeah this girl only wanted them to be hid carefully but covering almost his whole face like that wasn't good to his health! Shiki took a glance at the girl beside him. If she wasn't rough and rude, she'd be a beautiful angel. She'd make a good model. Her face so smooth-looking, orange-hair so silky and her natural scent was inevitably sweet. And...

"Why are you looking at me like that again? Next time you do that, I'll make sure you won't be able to see anymore," Rima warned as she glared at him.

"Hey, why do you speak like that?" Shiki couldn't help but ask.

"What? It's natural to me, why?" Rima raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing.. I just thought you can be really cute if only you'd talk nicely."

Rima widened her eyes for a slight moment. _Cute? No way! He has the nerve to flirt even with a maid like me? _Was what she thought. But honestly... whose girl wouldn't blush if they were told 'cute' even if indirectly? Shiki noticed the light hint of red in her cheeks as she looked away. And he couldn't help himself but to chuckle inwardly and think Rima was really.. adorable.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Waking up by the screaming of some girls she heard downstairs, Nanami instantly sat up on her bed. Face, except her eyes, nose and mouth was covered with a white cream mask.

"What is that?" Nanami mumbled to herself. Then she turned to look at her sister who was still sound asleep at her own bed. They were in a separate bed but the same room because Hanari refused to sleep on a separate one. Hanari was a coward. She believed on ghosts and was afraid of them. _Duh._ Nanami rolled her eyes.

Anyway, she was hearing such noises outside and she needed her beauty sleep. Maybe she should wake her sister up too.

Standing from her bed, she walked to Hanari and looked down at her. Without a second thought, Nanami flicked her sister's forehead. Didn't wake up. Second attempt, she poked Hanari's side knowing that she was ticklish there. But still didn't wake up. Alright, maybe she should just shout at her.

"Ha-na-ri!" pinching Hanari's ear, Nanami yelled.

This seemed to work because slowly, Hanari opened her eyes. But instead of greeting her elder sister a hello, she slapped her head and screamed like crazy as if she saw a ghost.

"Gaaahhh!" Hanari shut her eyelids tightly and covered herself with the light pink blanket.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nanami was surprised by Hanari's reactions. She rubbed her head that ached because of her sister's slap.

"Huh..? Oh! Sister!" Hanari finally recognized as she slowly peeked through the thin layer of the cloth covering her.

"I'm so sorry!"

"What was wrong with you? That hurts, you brat!"

"B-b-but! You..looked l-like a g-ghost! I was scared.."

"g..ghost? You're calling my beauty a ghost?" Nanami snapped but nonetheless continued, "anyway, get up, we'll check what's happening outside there,"she said as she gently peeled the white cream mask from her face.

"W-what? What's happen-" Hanari paused when she heard screams of girls.

"Oh my God.. Is there some kind...of m-monster attacking u-us? What do we do!" Hanari slumped in her bed, terrified. With this, Nanami mentally slapped her own forehead. _When would this coward girl stop believing such things?_

"Obviously, no. If you'll listen carefully, the screams were squeals! Would someone squeal when they're being attacked by some monster like u said? Duh." Nanami threw the now-useless mask onto the nearest garbage container and put her hands on her waist while still sitting on Hanari's bed.

"Oh.." Hanari nodded in understanding.

"Wait here, I'll go wash my face." With that, Nanami went straight to the bathroom inside their room. And when she came back, Hanari gulped and nodded once again.

Nanami didn't say anything anymore, instead she grabbed her sister's wrist and pulled her outside their room. Then an unbelievable sight came into their view as they leaned in on the nearest window. Downstairs, they saw three, five..then eight girls-probably around their age- running widely and screaming calling for someone. But what's more unbelievable was the name they were calling. Nanami quirked an eyebrow.

"Prince Senri?"

"P-prince Senri? Oh my! Why are they here for prince Senri? Did they get our castle mistaken?" Hanari tilted her head to look at her elder sister.

"Hm.. We'll find that out." Ignoring her younger sister's idiocy, she tapped her chin while smirking unusually.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Shiki and Rima were both hiding on the kitchen of the castle. Shiki didn't understand why but Rima dragged him there telling him it would be safer than being on any other part of that huge house. Why oh why the kitchen, he didn't really know. He shrugged as they stood still there. Rima was holding a broom.

"What's with the broom?" Shiki asked while looking at the broom.

"Oh? What else for? I'm going to use this to drive away the wild animals that a _certain idiot prince_ brought in here. Maybe, if just maybe they found their way here, you know," Rima replied shooting glare daggers at him.

"Idiot? I'm not idiot!"

"What now? Finally admitting that you are one huh? I didn't say 'you' but 'him'."

"What's the difference? That 'him' was me. Me."

"Ugh, whatever now shut up, you're annoying."

Shiki was mad. He never was insulted like that ever. But on the contrary, he found the orange-haired girl pretty amusing. As if he discovered something for the first time. And if it was a treasure hunt, he'd have the most precious item in his hands. This girl was so different, he enjoyed teasing her.

Then Shiki remembered something. He'd been meaning to ask Rima but.. how was he supposed to ask it..? _I'll just give a try. _And he was about to open his mouth when Rima forcefully pulled him into the ground leaving them in a crouching position. Rima looked at him and held her forefinger in front of her lips gesturing 'shhh'.

"Huh? I swear I heard someone talking here."

When Nanami and Hanari were walking passed the kitchen, Nanami heard someone arguing inside. She would have thought that they were chefs if she didn't recognize their poor maid's voice. Rima Touya. Hah. And what's more intriguing? She seemed to be talking with a guy. Feeling agitated by the thought, she quickly opened the door but as fast as the blowing wind, the voices vanished and she saw no one. At first she thought she misheard but decided against it. It was clear. Rima was in the room. And someone else..

Smirking, Nanami got an idea.

"Hm, I must have misheard. Come on Hanari, let's go downstairs now," Nanami winked at Hanari.

The younger sister seemed to figure out what her elder sister's planning so she played along with it.

"Yes, sister."

Hearing the door shut, Rima sighed in relief as well as Shiki. They completely thought that it was safe to stand up again without someone barging in on the room. But Rima regretted this immediately. The door to the kitchen suddenly opened without a warning and Nanami together with Hanari stood there, looking at their direction.

"Ha! I thought so! Now you maid, quit slacking on your job and get out there an-" Nanami's gaze darted towards the guy beside Rima. Then that was it, her jaw dropped and blinked few times.

"Oh my sister! Prince Senri!" Hanari smiled widely and fluttered her eyes at the prince.

"Oh my Gosh! The Prince Senri Shiki!" Nanami squealed in joy, still couldn't believe to see the _oh so sexy_ and _oh so hot_ and overly cool prince in their kitchen. But then, she raised an eyebrow as soon as she realized that Rima was with him. _What were they doing?_

"It's really safe here, huh." Shiki whispered under his breath as he cackled inwardly.

Rima shot a glance at the corner of her eyes and surprised when she saw Shiki with an amusement written on his face._ What? Ugh.. Anyway, this was what I didn't want to deal with.. My annoying stepsisters.. Especially Nanami. Really, how worse can today be?_

_

* * *

_This chapter is longer than the previous chapters! XD Anyway thank u everyone! ^_^

Have a good day and good night!

~Terru


	5. Chapter 5: Trouble

A/N: Hello again everyone! How are u all? :] This is the update but I'm sorry if it's quite boring T^T Anyway, next chapter will be fluff! x] If u read this, then u might probably guess what would happen in next chapter. Hehe XD It's not beta-ed. Anyone is welcome to leave a review, ideas and advices! ^^ I hope u all enjoy reading! Oh! By the way! Thank u so much to people who read this even though u don't review! And also, thanks so much to people who added this to story alert and favorited it! Many thanks to those who reviewed too :]

**ooamekiko**, **TouyaRima24**, **BlackNeonAngel**, **Idontownafanfiction(dot)netaccount** and **heartcrossedkey**

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own this anime/manga. All credits belong to Hino Matsuri-sensei. The weird idea of Cinderella that popped out in my head is the only thing I own here. :] Oh. Cinderella is NOT mine too..

_

* * *

"Oh my Gosh! The Prince Senri Shiki!" Nanami squealed in joy, still couldn't believe to see the_ oh so sexy _and_ oh so hot _and overly cool prince in their kitchen. But then, she raised an eyebrow as soon as she realized that Rima was with him._ What were they doing?

_"It's really safe here, huh," Shiki whispered under his breath as he cackled inwardly._

_Rima shot a glance at the corner of her eyes and surprised when she saw Shiki with an amusement written on his face._ What? Ugh.. Anyway, this was what I didn't want to deal with.. My annoying stepsisters.. Especially Nanami. Really, how worse can today be?

Chapter 5:

Big Trouble

As the clock continued to tick on in an awkward silence, Shiki finally managed to say something, which grabbed the attention of the two stepsisters in an instant.

"Uh, I think you're misunderstanding something lady."

Rima nodded her head in agreement before looking up at Nanami. Hanari tilted her head to the side to look at her sister too.

"Sister?" Hanari raised an eyebrow then she shot a playful glare at Rima's direction as if saying 'You're going to pay later' but Rima being Rima only shrugged casually.

Lazily, Nanami walked towards Shiki and Rima. At first, both of them were startled but remained silent. When she reached their direction, she stood straight in front of the prince, face looking serious without even a smile. Rima was starting to get suspicious when suddenly, Nanami jumped on Shiki as she wrapped her arms around his neck. This shocked him greatly that he just blinked few times, words escaping from him.

"Kya! I knew you're going to notice me finally and you're here for me! I'm right!" Nanami squealed. Again.

On the contrary, Rima widened her eyes as she stared dumbly at Shiki who had Nanami clinging on him. _Now I feel bad for him, just a bit_.Rima rolled her eyes mentally, she knew that her stepsisters were stupid but not to the extent that one of them actually thought that the prince would come to their house just for them not to mention in the kitchen.

"Wait." Shiki grabbed Nanami's arm and pulled her away from him. Shiki raised an eyebrow. _What did she just say?_ _I don't even know her.._

"What is it, my dear lovely husband?" Nanami fluttered her eyes at him. This only caused a shiver to ran up and down his spine.

"What?"

As Shiki, Rima and Nanami were absorbed in the situation, they forgot that there were four of them in the kitchen. After the single word that left Hanari's pouting mouth, the three of them turned their gazes at her.

Hanari then walked up to her elder sister and prince. Arriving in front of them, she quickly slapped Nanami's arm.

"What are you saying husband? He's not your husband because he'll be _my_ husband!"

"What is wrong with you, cowardly brat! Stop slapping my arm everyday, and you dare call _my_ husband _your_ husband?"

Both sisters glared daggers at each other as if a lightning was being exchanged with their eyes. Shiki shrugged and looked down beside him. He gave Rima a questioning look when he noticed that she was looking away with lips pursed tightly. Which he misunderstood. _Pouting..? For wha.. Ahh..._

Knowing that both annoying ladies were busy glaring and throwing insults at each other, he scooted closer to the petite orange-haired girl and brought his face near hers.

"Jealous, are we?" he whispered to her ear. Rima quickly turned her head to her side which was a bad decision, now both of their faces were few inches close to each other. Rima widened her eyes and felt her cheeks reddened at the closeness but partly because of irritation.

"What? You don't expect me going jealous for some idiot prince like you, do you?" Rima scowled quietly. She couldn't believe it, this tall handsome prince was more idiot than she thought he would be. But then, maybe all prince were like him? _Annoying.._

"Come on.. I saw you pouting when that curly-haired lady jumped on me," Shiki said with slight sarcasm.

"Pouting..?" Rima glared at him. She wasn't pouting! "No way! I wasn't!" Unconsciously, Rima yelled at him bringing her two stepsisters' attention back to her.

"How rude you stupid maid! Don't yell at my husband!" both Nanami and Hanari exclaimed at the same time.

"Wait, I don't recall myself having wife, alright?" Shiki snapped. He didn't like where this was going. It was already worse. Nanami and Hanari softened their facial features as they looked at him.

"We're sor-" a scream more likely huffing sound of girls squealing was heard outside.

Nanami now remembered! She was supposed to find out what were those girls doing earlier. She looked at Shiki reluctantly before winking at him. Shiki just looked at her without care then he noticed Rima tugging his sleeve. When he looked at her, she nodded her head towards the window behind them and he instantly looked at the direction she nodded to.

Bunch of fangirls were..increasing...? Shiki widened his eyes. He's dead.

"What are you looking at?" Nanami shot a glance at the window that Rima and the prince were looking at. She noticed the girls roaming around nonchalantly. _Wait! What are they really doing? This is our palace! _

"You see.. I'm sorry for bringing unwanted trouble here but those girls were looking for me," Shiki admitted as he sighed inaudibly.

"Oh?" Hanari blinked few seconds.

_Oh.. So that's it._ Nanami wore her devious smirk.

Without Shiki's permission, Nanami grabbed his arm and dragged him outside the kitchen. Not knowing what her stepsister's plan, Rima followed as well as Hanari. They then stopped in the living room and in front of the huge door. Nanami, while pulling Shiki with her, stepped forward and opened the door.

There were girls near the entrance as she expected. She was laughing evilly at her wise plan.

"Greetings to you girls!" Nanami shouted catching everyone's including Rima and Hanari even Shiki's whole attention.

The bunch of fangirls screamed delightful when they saw their prince but then glared at Nanami who was clinging on his arm. Nanami noticed this and smirked even more. Shiki had a bad feeling about it though. Rima actually was bored while Hanari was tensed.

"Listen you fangirls! Prince Senri Shiki doesn't want anyone of you. You can't disturb him anymore, you got it?" Nanami continued on shouting to them so that they could hear. Soon enough, every fangirls gathered in front of them as if they were having a feast and the King was Shiki while the queen was Nanami.

"What the hell are you talking about? You have no right to tell us what to do!" one of the girls argued. With that one said, murmurs swiftly spread through the whole place.

"Yes, I have! Because," Nanami paused and turned her gaze lovingly at Shiki who was tensed in all the menacing glares they were receiving-well, except for him honestly-.

"Prince Senri Shiki has already chosen me to be his wife and only me! So all of you have no chances anymore!" Nanami put her right free hand in front of her mouth and started to laugh hysterically. Rima widened her eyes. She didn't think that Nanami would really do that, and she never thought that her evil stepsister could be wise too. Sometimes, that is. While the fangirls raised the murmurs louder for what they heard, Hanari hissed secretly. Her stupid selfish sister was really taking an advantage in the situation!

"Wha-" Shiki couldn't continue what he was going to say since Nanami nudged his side with her elbow. He could only sigh inwardly hoping that everything would just be fine... He was so sure that the news would spread throughout the whole city and well.. to his mother. He gulped. No. He really didn't want to even imagine.

But it was effective. The depressed fangirls were now silently departing.

Going inside the palace-like house again, Nanami praised herself for being genius. Hanari snorted while Rima rolled her eyes and Shiki? Shiki was standing still like a statue as if he was shocked by an electric. Rima quirked a brow and walked in front of him. Seeing his shocked face, Rima lifted her hands and waved to him.

"Shiki? Shiki!" Rima flicked his forehead with her forefinger. Luckily, he seemed to respond. Snapping out of his trance, Shiki looked at Rima.

"Rima.." the way he called her name made her heart skip a bit. _Eh? _Now, Rima was confused.

"Hey you stupid maid, what are you doing here anyway? Get back to your work!" Nanami yelled at her. Hanari recalled Rima being punished and so she pulled her elder sister to her and put her hand beside her mouth before whispering to Nanami's ear, "Wait sister, didn't mother punish her earlier? Our mother said she have to stay at the barn near that garden for the whole day until night, without any food."

"Oh... I forgot about that."

Shiki seemed to hear the last part about the barn but didn't hear the first words. Nonetheless he knew it had something to do with the orange-haired girl.

"What? Without food? You mean, for Rima?" asked Shiki.

Rima looked surprised. She didn't know that it was her punishment. But she was more surprised at him. Why did he care about that?

Nanami and Hanari, despite of suspicion, nodded. Then Shiki did an unbelievable thing. A stupid thing. He grabbed Rima's wrist and pulled her against him.

"She's coming with me," Shiki said firmly.

"Wha-" Rima was cut off.

"What? B-but I'm suppose to be the one coming with you if you're going somewhere! And she's just a maid, she'll dirty your precious expensive clothes!" Nanami protested.

"No! Me!" Hanari contradicted.

"No. Neither of you. I feel grateful for what you did just a while ago curly-head lady but just to let you know, I'm also in big trouble because of it," he knitted his eyebrow as he continued speaking.

"Shiki.." Rima tried speaking but she was always cut off.

"Now let's go Rima."

"Nooooo!" Nanami and Hanari screamed.

Little did they know, their mother which was Rima's stepmother woke up angrily for all the noises. Before Rima and Shiki could leave, Nanri's heavy footsteps echoed upstairs..and slowly becoming louder. Rima stiffened. _No, no please, I'm dead ugh. _Shestruggled from Shiki's grip but he didn't notice it.

Soon after, Nanri was walking downstairs where they were in. Immediately, her gaze met Rima's. Then the prince who was holding Rima. Nanri raised an eyebrow with this but she was good in acting. Putting a gentle smile on her face, she closed the distance between her and the four young ones.

"My my, what is wrong in here?" Nanri smiled at the prince. Her dark brown hair was tied in a messy bun above her head while she was wearing a pink night gown robe. For an old woman to wear such frilly gown.. Rima would have laughed inwardly if it weren't for the tension she was feeling. Shiki seemed to notice this now and so he decided to speak first.

"Madam, my apologies for intruding here. There were just...certain circumstances and-"

"That's alright, Prince Senri Shiki. I understand."

"Thank you." Shiki bowed his head a little bit despite of uneasiness he was feeling.

"Well then, would you mind if I take this maiden here with me outside this palace?"

Rima widened her eyes and glared at Shiki. She was about to protest when she heard her stepmother laughed heartily. _There's definitely something wrong._

"Why of course, dear. Have fun then," said Nanri.

_What?Wait! _

After that, Shiki nodded and smiled gently before dragging Rima outside. When they were gone, Nanami and Hanari clung on their mother and wailed.

"Why mother?" Nanami cried.

"Well. It's only one time for her."

"What do you mean, mother?" Hanari asked curiously.

"After that, I'll make sure she won't see him again." Nanri smirked as her eyes glinted with apparent anger and humiliation.

* * *

I'm really sorry if it sucks..! T T I did my best. I hope it turned out ok.

Anyway, have good days and good nights everyone! :D

~Terru


	6. Chapter 6: Secret

A/N: Hello everyone! Here's an update, as I said, this chapter contains fluffness(just a bit...maybe) I did my best though! Not beta-ed..I had to reread this over and over and I was quite satisfied with how it turned but i'm so sorry if it was kind of...rushed? T.T I thought this was going to have few chapters but decided against it.. This will be longer than I thought :] And to those who likes Naruto Anime and Sasuke/Hinata pairing, I posted a fic of them, only the prologue for now though. ^^ I hope u all enjoy reading! Anyone is welcome to leave a review, ideas, advices and anything, really! :D

**Thank u** to those who added this fic to their story alerts and to those who favorited this and to those who added me as their favorite author! I'm really very happy, I love u all. Thank u to those who read this even though u don't review too! :D

Special thanks to those who reviewed: **ooamekiko**, **TouyaRima24**, **BlackNeonAngel**, **Idontownafanfiction(dot)netaccount**, **heartcrossedkey** and to the new reader **pockylover**!

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own this anime/manga. All credits belong to Hino Matsuri-sensei. The weird idea of Cinderella that popped out in my head is the only thing I own here. :] Oh. Cinderella is NOT mine too..

**Warning:** I'm not sure if this chapter should be rated T(at the end)..

_

* * *

"Why mother?" Nanami cried._

_"Well. It's only one time for her."_

_"What do you mean, mother?" Hanari asked curiously._

_"After that, I'll make sure she won't see him again." Nanri smirked as her eyes glinted with apparent anger and humiliation._

Chapter 6:

His Secret

Today was really unbelievable for Rima. Too much things have happened in just one day for her, and there she thought it would be another normal day...

Rima's gaze turned towards her and Shiki's linked hands. His hand was perfectly fit in hers as if they were made for each other. She shook her head. What was she thinking? Her gaze moved to his broad back. She just noticed then that he was a man, not just some stupid boy but a grown-up man. She gulped. She shouldn't have gone with him. Maybe... maybe she could still refuse him. Deciding that it would be the best, Rima suddenly stopped walking making Shiki do the same thing.

The prince turned his head to look at her confusingly. Rima was looking away from him but their hands remained connected. Shiki's impassive face softened as his whole body shifted to face her.

"Rima?" called Shiki grabbing the petite girl's attention.

She looked at him quickly and knitted her brows together. She had mixed feelings, she didn't know if she should be mad at him for deciding things without her consent or whether to be grateful to him that he dragged her outside of that hellish house even just for a day.

"You... are an idiot," Rima muttered under her breathe. Shiki quirked an eyebrow. What was wrong with this girl? He was honestly being kind to her and he never did that to anyone aside from his family and some friends he had, and those times were rare too. Now she was calling him an idiot again? Shiki sighed inwardly. He then lifted up his free hand that wasn't linked with hers, and brought it just above her head. Rima jerked, startled at him. But then she was more surprised at what he did.

Shiki couldn't really understand girls, but one thing he always remembered his mother telling him was 'When a girl is acting strange, just pat her head'. He never really got what his mother meant back that time and now for the first time, it made sense to him. Soon, an adorable blush painted Rima's cheeks. Her widened gem blue eyes were beautiful as he saw himself reflecting on them.

"I'm not a kid," Rima fought the blush and said instead.

Shiki chuckled mentally forgetting her rude attitude. Then he began walking again pulling her with him.

"Wait Shiki."

"What?"

"I don't think this is a good idea."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because..." Rima paused not knowing what her actual reasons for not wanting to go with him. Then she exclaimed the first thing to appear in his mind.

"Because I still have works to do!" _What a lame excuse._

"Don't kid me Rima, you wouldn't do your works there. You're punished from what I heard."

"Uh..." Now she had nothing more to say. Rolling her eyes, she mentally sulked.

Shiki smirked to himself knowing that Rima wasn't going to argue anymore. He didn't know where he wanted to take her, he just let his feet brought him anywhere. That was until they arrived at a near downtown.

"Shiki, where are we going?" Rima finally voiced out her curiosity.

"We'll see."

Rima was feeling uneasy, it was her first time going to a place where there were crowds. Her routine in the palace-like house where she lived in was cook for her stepmother and two stepsisters, clean the house, scrub the floor and many else. Oh yes, eat her pocky. She often take some from the kitchen even though she knew it was her stepsisters'. But it was the snack her father used to give her when he was still alive. She loved that food, and she considered those in the kitchen as hers already. After all, they didn't like the snacks. Why waste it?

Shiki's dark, reddish maroon-coloured hair was glistening a bright red under the sun. Rima was stunned, her eyes didn't seem to want to look away no matter how much she scolded herself, but suddenly, something blocked her view of his hair. In a matter of seconds, she was pulled closer to Shiki and they shared the umbrella he was holding in his free hand. She was startled but immediately turned her attention to the thing covering their heads from the rays of sun. _Umbrella? _Rima raised an eyebrow at this. He was full of surprises, seriously. _Wait... Where did he get this thing from anyway?_

She was shocked enough. Shrugging, Rima kept her confusion to herself. But Shiki seemed to notice her doubt and anxiousness.

"I have this umbrella folded and always hung in my right side belt. You didn't see it?"

"Huh? Ah, no." Rima shook her head.

Then Shiki remembered. Rima didn't know the secret of his identity. He might be a prince but not a normal one. He wasn't sure if he could tell her about it but then he knew that she wasn't the type to blab and well... he wanted her to know for some reason he didn't know.

After few moments of walking in silent pace, Shiki saw a store that sold snacks. He only had one certain snack in his mind. With an impassive face, he looked at Rima and pointed a finger at the store. Rima abruptly shot a glance at it. She didn't know what it was but she had a feeling something worth was inside it. She nodded as she was dragged by him again. Why was he rushing she didn't know.

When they reached the entrance, Shiki folded his umbrella again and stepped inside followed by the orange-haired girl. Rima's gem blue eyes roamed around. The place was small but clean, comfortable and had a good vibe to it, then... she widened her eyes. Not being able to hide her excitement as she saw her favorite snack on a corner, she tugged at Shiki and this time, pulled him with her as she headed towards it. Shiki saw what she was aiming for and was surprised for a moment. _So she likes this snack too huh?_

"Rima, you like this?" asked Shiki as he picked one pack.

Rima nodded and looked at the pockies with shimmering light on her blue eyes. She really never expected to see it there. Shiki then coughed a bit which made Rima look at him curiously.

"I... like this too. I never thought we like the same type of snack," he admitted.

Shiki pulled her again, now stomping towards the counter. He payed for the pocky and Rima was wondering why he wasn't using his other hand then she immediately felt stupid for her own confusion. Shiki's hand never let go of hers. She mentally slapped her forehead. Ugh.

"Shiki-" she was cut off by him interrupting.

"Next, let's go to a park near here. I've been there once before with a friend."

"Park?"

"Yeah."

...

...

Reaching the park Shiki was talking about, Rima turned her head left and right as if being careful for something. Shiki finally let go of her hand when he handed the pack of pocky to her.

"What?" Rima looked at him.

"I'm giving it to you," Shiki said in a calm voice.

Taking the opportunity, Rima nodded and opened the pack as she unwrapped the first bundle of it and smiling to herself, she took one stick of it and put in her mouth. It was really delicious but for some weird reason, it was even more delicious when Shiki was the one who handed it to her instead of her, stealing some from her stepsisters.

Both of them only stood in the middle of the park, Rima eating the pocky one by one and Shiki? Well..

Shiki stared at Rima from the corner of his eye. Her orange hair that was tied in two pigtails looked reddish under the bright gleaming afternoon sun. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat. He widened his eyes a little bit. Why was he feeling warm just by the mere presence of a girl he just met? It wasn't even one day ago that he got to know her! That was really strange to him.

When Rima turned to look at Shiki to say her thanks, her gem blue eyes met his light blue ones then they were locked. Not attempting to move even a bit, both started to feel awkwardness. But Rima couldn't take it, she was the first to break their eye contact. Looking back at the pack of pocky she had in her hand, she took one stick in her forefinger and thumb then brought it in front of Shiki's face. He was now looking at her questioningly.

"Here, feed," Rima offered.

Shiki was taken aback but nonetheless he slightly opened his mouth and bit on the tip of the pocky held out to him. Rima hesitated at first but finally gave up and looked back at his direction. Yes, he was definitely handsome, cool with his expressionless face and an idiot, but she thought at that moment, only at that moment... that he looked childishly cute.

They shared the snack with each other. After eating all the sticks, Rima noticed one thing.

"Shiki, are you okay without the umbrella now?"

"Oh." Shiki blinked. It was not that bright anymore when he lifted his head and looked up above. Fortunately he had watch with him. He looked at it and saw that it was already four o'clock in the afternoon. Wow. Time flew faster than he expected and he did not need the umbrella anymore.

"Not anymore, Rima," he paused then continued, "Do you want to go home already?" Shiki took a glance at her, eyes had softness touch on them as if begging her to answer 'no'.

Rima wanted to go home at first but now she wasn't sure if she wanted to. Not responding, he took it as a _no _to his question. He suddenly grabbed her right hand once again and kept her closer to him. He secretly enjoyed her small gasps and pouts.

"Sorry, I have to hold your hand even more now since it's soon going to be night. You might get lost," said Shiki and Rima rolled her eyes.

Both of them spent the remaining hours going to random stores and places. He'd never had fun ever since he turned eight, only one time was all he could remember. Almost nine years had passed since then. He was always quiet and studying in his own room as told by his mother.

Although he had no idea that it was the same for Rima. But one difference was though Rima never really had fun in her childhood, being with her father was enough to give her happiness. She would have never wished for anything else. But she turned seven and he suddenly passed away. She didn't really cry. Not even one tear was shed but her cheerful personality became sour. She turned from sweet into a short-tempered girl who never smiled anymore. She wondered when was the last time she actually smiled.

Being trapped in their reveries, they didn't notice the sky turned pitch dark already and the surrounding became colder. When they snapped out of their own trances, a beautiful sight appeared before them. A bit away from downtown, there was a field where fireflies gathered and gave enchanted light to the bleak night. They stood there, stunned that both their mouths slightly fell open. Shiki didn't even realize that they arrived in that place. He had been there once before together with his uncle and auntie and with his cousins. But that was it, the only one time he had fun. His father, nor his mother never took him anywhere.

Shiki stole a glance at the petite girl beside him. His hands unconsciously gripping hers tighter which she didn't appear to notice. His heart beat was skipping faster than its normal rate. His gaze then moved down from her face to her neck. Oh damn. Her slender, smooth-looking pale neck was inviting him. He knew he must control it, but then he hadn't expected to feel it towards her. He had unintentionally let his guard off.

Honestly, he had been on dates with other girls that his mother preferred him to but none of them made him feel the way Rima did. Shaking his head inwardly, he thought of the things that going to happen if he were to bite her and feed on her blood. For sure, she was going to become one of their species and she might despise him after that. _No._ He didn't want that to happen, hell he couldn't even imagine. It was out of his reach but then... she would have power and she would be able to defend herself if something happens whenever he wasn't around her.

God was he thinking of such advanced things already, couldn't he let a day pass over first? No. Simple answer for his own satisfaction. He cursed himself below his gritted teeth.

"Shiki-" Rima was about to say something about the fireflies that surrounded them, glowing delightfully as though they were there for just the two of them when, Shiki let go of her hand and slowly placed them on her shoulder as he spun her to face him, holding her still. He had the most serious face she had yet seen. She began to feel tense and heart beating rapidly. _Why these damn heart beats! _Rima tilted her head to her side confused. Little did she know, what she did would just bring her more to unexpected happenings.

"Rima... I'm sorry, I kept a secret from you," Shiki whispered as he inclined his head to the side and slowly brought his face closer to her neck. Rima stiffened. _Wha? What's happening? _

"Shiki?" Rima was uncomfortable as she was being drawn to him. Why was that she really had no idea.

Then, she felt something wet against the skin on her neck. Shivers ran up and down her spine. Now she was feeling even more uneasy. She had to struggle, whatever was happening.

"Sh-Shiki! Wait..." Rima put her hands against his chest in an attempt to push him away but his respond was to only pull her closer to him wrapping his arms around her securely, gently brushing his fang along the pulse of her smooth neck.

The secret he hadn't told her was that he was a vampire. He got afraid that she'd drive him away and that she'd think of him as disgusting. But it was just too much for him. Now without a warning, his fangs dug, and he urgently sucked some blood from her. It was... intoxicating. Shiki felt himself got hungrier for her blood after every seconds that passed.

Rima suddenly felt a stinging pain on her neck. It took her time to adjust to what was happening. Shiki was biting her! What the hell? Who was he really? Rima shut her eyelids tightly as she clenched his shirt not caring if it was going to be crumpled under her desperate grasp on it. Shiki was closing his eyes now enjoying the taste of her blood, but then Rima's anxious face replayed inside his head as if a movie being rewind. He snapped his eyes open and gently pulled out his fang that was dug on her neck. Oh damn it. He completely lost his control. He licked the blood that dripped down from the two holes he created and softly pressed his lips on them.

Rima let out a deep breath she didn't even realize she was holding. She then opened her eyes only to see Shiki looking down at her with a sad expression. Rima widened her eyes for a bit.

"Rima, Rima I'm sorry, I... lost control," Shiki's brows was clashing each other and he unexpectedly embraced her.

"Shiki..." Rima mumbled his name helplessly, still clueless to what occurred between her and him.

"I'm not a human, Rima. Would you believe me if I say that I'm a... vampire?"

Rima felt herself stiffened and this didn't go unnoticed by Shiki. His heart suddenly felt heavy like the world had fell down upon him.

"Vampire?" Rima gazed at the fireflies glowing bright yellow gold around them as she tried to analyze what he had just said. _He was a ...vampire? This idiot prince? _Rima's eyes were perfectly round but soon turned half-closed. Her body felt limp and slowly, her consciousness was drifting away from her. She could hear Shiki calling to her name repeatedly before she gave away to the darkness that hovered over her very being.

* * *

This chapter is the longest I've typed for this fic so far! I hope it turned out alright. Sorry for my grammar! T^T Please do tell me if u spot errors :]

Thank u everyone!

Have good days and good nights everyone!

~Terru


	7. Chapter 7: Memory

A/N: Hello again! :] here's an update, sorry if the happenings are too rushed v_v I tried expanding the events but I found it fitting here. I still hope u all like it^^ Not beta-ed, I'm sorry for wrong grammars, please tell me if u spot error, i'd appreciate it a lot :D Anyone is welcome to leave a review, ideas and advices!(I need advices T^T) THANK U! :D

**Thank u** to those who added this fic to their story alerts and to those who favorited this and to those who added me as their favorite author! I'm really happy, I love u all. Thank u to those who read this even though u don't review too! :]

Special thanks to those who reviewed: **ooamekiko**, **TouyaRima24**, **BlackNeonAngel**, **Idontownafanfiction(dot)netaccount**, **heartcrossedkey** and **pockylover**!

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own this anime/manga. All credits belong to Hino Matsuri-sensei. The weird idea of Cinderella that popped out in my head is the only thing I own here. :] Oh. Cinderella is NOT mine too..

_

* * *

"Vampire?" Rima gazed at the fireflies glowing bright yellow gold around them as she tried to analyze what he had just said._ He was a ...vampire? This idiot prince?_Rima's eyes were perfectly round but soon turned half-closed. Her body felt limp and slowly, her consciousness was drifting away from her. She could hear Shiki calling to her name repeatedly before she gave away to the darkness that hovered over her very being._

Chapter 7:

The Hidden Memory

Nanri was folding her arms over her chest, eyebrow raised and tapping her left foot on the ground impatiently. Rima hadn't returned home. She allowed her to go with the gorgeous prince yesterday and she had expected her to come back the same day but no. Rima didn't come back. And Nanri was furious, she would give a right punishment to the maid and she wasn't going to have mercy for her. Rima was never going to be able to meet the prince ever again!

"Mother, mother, where is that maid? Don't tell me she's still with my husband Senri Shiki! That husband stealer!" Hanari tugged on her mother's arm.

"Hey watch what you say brat, Prince Senri Shiki is _my_ husband and _mine_ _only! Exclusively mine_,get it?" Nanami slightly whacked Hanari's head.

"Ouch!"

"Hmph!"

"Now come on my dear daughters. She might have seduced the prince, but no worries, our prince won't fall in love with her if he finds out her true identity." Nanri smirked as she looked straightly at the wall ahead of her. _Yes, if he finds out what Rima really is... he'll freak out for sure._

"True identity?" Nanami and Hanari asked at the same time while looking at each other confusingly.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

_Father? Father please... don't leave me._

Light was approaching...

_I'm sorry my daughter, I wasn't able to fulfill my duties as a father. Forgive me, I love you my daughter Rima._

The bright light that coarse through the thin layers of curtain reached over her as it slowly crept up the white blanket that covered her body and stopped just below her chin.

_But... Where will you go? You can't take me?_

Wind blew audibly as if whispering something...

_No, Rima. But I want you to promise me something. Can you do that for me?_

As if mourning for something...

_Yes father!_ _I'll do anything you wish for me to do._

Suddenly, the wind blew stronger gushing other sounds away.

_Good. Now listen to me... You must..._

Then everything fell silent. No sounds at all. No warmth at all. Nothing anymore.

_Father? What are you saying? I can't hear you. Your voice is getting smaller and smaller. _

…

…

_Wait father, where are you? Father! _

_I can't... see your face anymore..._

Shiki sat on a wooden chair beside the unconscious Rima as he was staring blankly at the transparent glass of the square-sized window they had in the room. What had he done? He was honestly regretting it... Why'd he bite her? He took her normal life away from her! How horrible he felt. But then, why was it that he felt there was something strange about her blood? He thought she was indeed intoxicating but there was something, and it bothered him.

The moment he dug his fang on her neck, he got hungrier and he wanted more. He was drawn to her blood alone. What should he do? Aside from the strange addicting sensation her blood was to him, he felt lost in the thought of Rima turning into a vampire because of him.

'Wait. What if that strange feeling... what if Rima is already a vampire before we even met?' Shiki thought inwardly. If possible, he would dive into her past, he wanted to know more about her, everything about the petite orange-haired girl. And her being a vampire already before they met was the perfect conclusion as to why Rima's blood felt rather strangely attracting. Added his attraction for her.

Shiki then bent his upper body forward and propped his forearm on his lap, his red maroon bangs falling in front of him covering his face. So much thoughts were circling his mind and it was driving him crazy. It couldn't be that Rima was a vampire. She acted like a normal human, she didn't have the scent of a vampire at all and... she was a maid! Vampires' prides were too high to even allow themselves to be lower than the highest status of a human being could. No. That was impossible. Shiki chuckled inwardly then stopped abruptly.

But when he was drinking her blood, he knew there was something strange, like something that was restraining her from having the scent of a vampire, something dangerously attractive that could only be found on the same species as him. So why? He was confused. It was only yesterday so it was normal for him to feel awkward. He kept the things he was wondering about to himself. For sure, he didn't let it get the best of him.

"Rima..." Shiki mumbled to himself as he lifted his head and turned to the orange-haired girl's direction. She looked very peaceful, like she was dead, very pale, but beautiful. Shiki furrowed his brow. If Rima wasn't already a vampire before he bit her, she was, no doubt going to turn into one. And it would be his fault. He blamed himself for not being able to have self-control. Rima was right. He was an idiot. He became an idiot ever since he met her. And that means, he was never an idiot until yesterday. Yes. That was it.

Suddenly, Rima's right hand twitched. Shiki quirked a brow curiously. Then slowly, Rima lifted her hand as if trying to reach out for something. And there it was, the evident of how she had a weak side to her despite of being too stubborn and rude. One tear drop fell from her right eye that was closed. Unconsciously, Shiki brought both his hands to her hand that was reaching out and held it comfortably.

"Rima?" Shiki called to her.

And as though a respond, Rima gripped his hand, which clearly surprised him. But what surprised him more was that she was smiling. A sweet smile was plastered on her face. Forget about the lone tear that fell from her eyes, Rima was stunningly beautiful when she was smiling. Shiki was widening his eyes in amusement.

Slowly, the smile that was spread across Rima's facial feature disappeared as she began to open her eyelids lazily. She blinked few times before fully opening her eyes. The first thought she had in his mind was where she was and her pocky. It was her daily routine of waking up in her stepmother's house. She'd look for her pocky. But where was she? The mirrored-ceiling wherein she immediately saw her reflection when she opened her eyes was shocking that she didn't even notice Shiki beside her. She then turned her head to her left and saw a wooden door but expensive-looking one, then as her eyes roamed around the unfamiliar room, her gaze stopped right at Shiki's face. Shiki... Shiki?

Then she felt something wrapping her right hand. Her gaze turned to it and widened her eyes when she saw that Shiki was holding her hand. She instantly sat up, lifting her upper body, and letting the blanket flopped above her lap. And even though she felt nauseated because of the sudden movement made, she quickly pulled her hand away from his grasp and looked at him weirdly.

"W-why are you here? Pervert," Rima glared at him.

"Why? Because it's my room," Shiki replied flatly.

"What?"

"It's my room."

"Repeat that."

"It's my roo-" Shiki was cut off when Rima took a pillow she saw beside her and shoved into his face.

"Stop! Don't say it!"

"Bu youu saiff I shu-" Shiki couldn't speak and breathe properly so he grabbed her wrist and jerked the pillow away from his face. Rima shot a glare dagger at him even more, despite of her confused face.

"Why am I in here? Ugh, go away, idiot!" Rima was about to throw another pillow at him using her free hand when Shiki grabbed it too, now he was holding both her wrist.

"Please calm down, Rima," Shiki tried to speak with her but she only got mad as to how he was holding her. It hurts! She struggled and pulled her hands from his grip forcefully which was a bad idea. She pulled too hard that Shiki's balance got off and fell towards her.

"Wha-!" Rima closed her eyes for the impact, good thing it was a bed and soft but when she opened her eyes, she widened them and her mouth fell slightly open. Shiki's face was too close! Too close! Shiki fell on top of her and now he was hovering over her small body, with both of his hands gripping her wrists. If someone were to walk passed them, they would absolutely think something different!

Shiki didn't mean it. She was struggling too much that he didn't realize his left knee was already bent forward and over on the bed. Then he fell towards her. And now, his heart beat was skipping rapidly the same as was yesterday. How could this mere girl made him feel different kinds of emotions that he wasn't supposed to feel? Her face was also too close! But he couldn't look away for some reason. Why? Oh God, this was wrong. He still had to explain to her about what happened after he bit her.

But their gazes were locked with each other, nothing was needed to be spoken for their eyes already spoke million of words. And soon, they found out that they could understand each other better that way. None of the other moved away. That was until suddenly, the door to Shiki's room opened and revealed an old woman wearing long maid dress with white apron on top of it. She was wearing a white bandana too and had a tray cart she was pushing.

Shiki and Rima quickly turned their heads at the old woman who was widening her eyes at them.

"Oh my, prince Senri, I never thought you were the aggressive type!" the old woman chuckled happily.

"No. No! You got it wrong Miss Takashi. Anyway why did you enter without knocking?" Shiki panicked and instantly let go of Rima's wrists as he pulled himself away from her, now asking the old woman.

"I did knock and called to you repeatedly but I got no response. I thought you two were sleeping so..."

Shiki raised an eyebrow but not in an angry manner while Rima sat up and looked at the middle aged woman with impassive face. Miss Takashi noticed this and well, misunderstood.

"No need to be so shy two youngsters, I've been waiting for the day that our dear little prince will bring a girl here but he never did so I was worried, I thought for once that what if he wasn't interested in girls! And then he brought you Miss Rima, though it wasn't how I expected, you were unconscious. I was worried about what my young master might have done to you," said the old woman with concern and tease.

"What?" Shiki's brow tweaked before he looked away.

Rima gulped, muffling her laughter. That was funny! She already liked this old woman.

"Now here is Miss Rima's breakfast, and yours too young master." Miss Takashi prepared the food, took off the cover and put them over in a table near the bed leaving the tray cart empty. When she finished, she smiled at Shiki and Rima before going out of the room.

Shiki sighed but deep inside, he was smiling. He really have never brought girls to their palace willingly. It was always whether his mother chose one and made Shiki guide her through the whole place. Most of them were same anyway, either after his inheritance, or his good looks. He was aware of that but he didn't want it. Rima was the first to see him as a normal being not a prince, and she called him idiot even after knowing he was a prince. This girl had the guts and he liked it. A lot more than he thought.

"So? Shiki. I calmed down, now explain everything," said Rima grabbing Shiki's attention back to her.

"Uh. You don't remember?"

"No, why else would I ask you, idiot."

"Yeah I guess so. Anyway..."

Shiki began telling her all what happened yesterday and how she ended up in the prince's palace, let alone his room. Rima listened intently to everything he said and constantly widening her eyes when a certain shocking moment was mentioned. For the last part, Rima didn't seem to take it well but nevertheless she stayed calm and collected for the best.

"What did you say? I turned into a... vampire?" Rima raised an eyebrow at Shiki.

"I'm sorry Rima. I couldn't control myself yesterday, your blood intoxicated me badly, now I mentioned it. I want to know. Were you, by any chance, already a vampire before I even bit you? If so, why didn't you tell me?" Shiki asked her, curiosity showed in his tone of voice but not on his face.

"What the hell? Of course, no-" Rima stopped. A certain dream... no, a memory suddenly swam through her head and the images were so vivid that she thought she was gone back to being child again for once.

"_Rima, my daughter, I want you to promise me something." _

"_Yes father?"_

"_Can you do it for me?"_

_Rima's smile became wider as she hugged her father's leg._

"_Yes! Anything my father wishes me to do!"_

"_Good. Now listen to me," he paused. "Our bloodline Touya are descendants of Touya clan who were vampires. I was one of them. Your mother was the same. And so are you, my sweet daughter. But... I want you to forget about this truth and live a normal life as a human. You must drink this tablet Rima. Once I disappear out of your sight, drink this right away, do you understand?"_

"_But father, why? I'm not allowed to be vampire?"_

"_It's not that Rima. It's for your safety. Now don't ask anything and just do as I said. You would do anything I wish for you to do, right?"_

_Rima couldn't understand, at such young age of six, there was no way she'd understand but she nodded and smiled at her father._

"_Alright father! But why would you disappear?" _

"_I'll stay right here in your heart, so don't worry, I'm not going to disappear completely dear." Rima's father pointed at her heart and smiled at her. It was supposed to be a warm smile but for Rima, it only seemed to be a sad one. Her father crouched down until he reached Rima's height, she was so small and he suppressed the heavy feeling he felt for leaving his beloved daughter. He then embraced her tightly which she returned by wrapping her petite arms around her father's neck. For some unknown reason, tears started to well in her eyes. _

"_I love you my daughter, Rima."_

_And those were the last words she ever heard from him. _

"Rima?" Shiki was getting worried, Rima had been dazing off for a while now. He waved his hand in front of her face but still, she wouldn't react. It was as if, her body was there but her mind was somewhere else. And so he let her be like that for the meantime, giving her the space she needed.

Soon after, Rima snapped back into the reality after remembering a certain part of her memory... of her past. So she was a... vampire already? Wow. She remembered now. Everything... In a blink of an eye, every little details of her past that had once escaped from her rushed back to her head. She completely forgot them but she remembered now, very clear. But then how in the hell was she supposed to tell that to Shiki? Also, she never felt lust for blood, neither did she feel like biting some random person out of nowhere. _Why was that? Could it be... Oh. That tablet my father gave me must have had something to do with how I grew up just like a normal human. After all, I did drink it... back that time._

"Shiki. I will tell you... my story." _No matter how much I want to keep it to myself._

_

* * *

_The humor disappeared, I know! T_T hm... But please no worries, i shall bring back HUMOR-ness! YEY! XD

Hope it turned out ok :]

Have good days and good nights everyone!

~Terru


	8. Chapter 8: Blood

A/N: Hello! :D Here's an update. I enjoyed writing this and it's now the longest chapter I've written I think o.o 3,186 words...Yes, it's the longest. x] I hope u all enjoy reading!^^ It's not beta-ed, please feel free to tell me if u spot errors :] Anyone is welcome to leave a review, ideas and YES, advices! Please tell me, is this chapter rushed? =/ I don't think it is...but, ahhh anyway please read on and u'll know what I am talking about. ^^

**Thank u so much** to those who added this fic to their story alerts and to those who favorited this and to those who added me as their favorite author! I'm really **very** happy, I love u all so much. Thank u to those who read this even though u don't review too! :]

Special thanks to those who reviewed!: **ooamekiko**, **TouyaRima24**, **BlackNeonAngel**, **Idontownafanfiction(dot)netaccount**, **heartcrossedkey** and **pockylover**!

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own this anime/manga. All credits belong to Hino Matsuri-sensei. The weird idea of Cinderella that popped out in my head is the only thing I own here. :] Oh. Cinderella is NOT mine too..

_

* * *

Soon after, Rima snapped back into the reality after remembering a certain part of her memory... of her past. So she was a... vampire already? Wow. She remembered now. Everything... In a blink of an eye, every little details of her past that had once escaped from her rushed back to her head. She completely forgot them but she remembered now, very clear. But then how in the hell was she supposed to tell that to Shiki? Also, she never felt lust for blood, neither did she feel like biting some random person out of nowhere._ Why was that? Could it be... Oh. That tablet my father gave me must have had something to do with how I grew up just like a normal human. After all, I did drink it... back that time.

_"Shiki. I will tell you... my story."_ No matter how much I want to keep it to myself.

Chapter 8:

Giving some blood

Shiki felt his eyes widened slightly when he heard the words that left Rima's mouth. She'd... tell him her story? About what? Does that have something to do with what he asked just a while ago? Shiki's mind was in a haze but nevertheless he remained silent and stared at her with interest.

Rima knew he was going to listen and that he was very interested. But honestly, she hated the feeling. She wasn't the type to just tell stories about her life to some strangers. However, Shiki was different. Rima might be feeling uncomfortable around him but she felt comfortable talking to him. Weird huh? There was something about him that intrigued her, and before she knew it, she was already drawn completely by him.

Rima closed her eyes before shaking her head in frustration.

"Shiki, where do I begin... Um, You see..." then she began telling him about her father who had left her side for some unknown reason and eventually how she found out that he died. She was in despair despite her being only seven, but she never showed it. If there was one thing she hated, it was the word and itself; weakness.

"I'm sorry about that. My father is also gone already," Shiki kept his gaze at her as he spoke with an impassive face as if he didn't care whether his father was dead or not. Rima raised a brow at this, but she figured out that she should continue.

"Don't pity me. Also... from what I'm going to tell you, things would be confusing Shiki."

"What do you mean?"

"Before my father disappeared, he left a tablet for me to drink. He made me promise to him something too. And I just realized it was all tied."

"What tablet?" Shiki shifted in his seat lightly and leaned forward showing his clear curiosity.

"I don't know. But Shiki, I didn't remember this until today. Before you even bit me... I was hm, already a..." Rima paused. Why was it so hard to say it? Ugh! She just had to say it quick and get over with, what the hell was wrong with her?

"You're already a vampire; is what you wanted to say?" Shiki continued for her incomplete confession.

Rima didn't say anything, she only nodded.

"Wait. But how, why-" Rima was right. Shiki got even more confused. Now he didn't need to feel guilty that he bit her but then how could she not remember it? And why couldn't he find the scent of a vampire on her? It was true that her blood was really... something that a mere human didn't have. It was enough proof to Shiki that there was something strange about Rima that he didn't know however he did not really expect her to be a vampire. And she said Touya Clan. He had never heard of it before. Perhaps, he should ask his mother about it later on.

"That's why I said it will be confusing." Rima broke into Shiki's reverie.

"Yeah. I mean, I had an idea about you being a vampire but, I didn't really expect it to be true."

"I think, the tablet had something to do with my lost memories about being a vampire."

"Oh?" Shiki blinked a few times. Ah that made sense! Although he had never heard of a tablet that could make a vampire lose its memory even scent. That was just... new. Shiki began to wonder if his mother knew something about such things. He seriously ought to ask her.

Rima looked at Shiki searching for his reaction which was unidentified since most of the time, he had impassive face but then Rima was the same and she knew that well. She then looked away turning her head to the side. They were alike somehow and no matter how much Rima try figuring it out herself, she couldn't understand why she felt warm inside. This idiot prince was starting to affect her. It wasn't good! It couldn't be good in so many levels! Rima knitted her brows together. She wasn't going to let emotions take over her...

After the confession and the talk about the unknown tablet, Shiki was left in an even more frustration. He still kept his gaze at Rima which was how he noticed that her expression changed. It was not that noticeable and surely easy to miss but it didn't go unnoticed by him. Not by Shiki.

"Rima?" Shiki was worried. Could it be that she regretted telling him? Or could it be that she was anxious about being a vampire? He probably woke her vampire side when he bit her... Shiki's guilt came back to him. He... It was his fault. Damn it.

Rima jerked her head towards him quickly and as if nothing had changed, Rima was wearing her impassive face again.

"Shiki, now I remember that I'm a vampire, what should I do? I'll eventually be thirsty for blood, wouldn't I?" Rima gritted her teeth. She had no idea how vampire systems work!

"Yes." Then there was a silence.

_Stupid prince, had nothing to say other than that... _

"And I'll be more than willing to let you drink my blood... Rima."

_What? _Rima widened her already round eyes before glaring at him. Shiki seemed to be taken aback but he didn't show that. Apparently, he really enjoyed teasing her.

"Why Shiki?" instead, Rima asked.

"Why? Because I want to share my blood to you." If they were mere humans and not vampires, that sounded disgusting. Honestly. Rima folded her arms over her chest as she remained seated on the bed. Then her gaze turned to the table with the food that Miss...-she forgot the name- prepared for them. She abruptly stood up and this surprised Shiki.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. We should eat the breakfast that Miss... what's her name again, had prepared."

Shiki then looked at the table. _Oh._

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

"Mother! Mother, let's go to the palace!" Nanami exclaimed while chewing nonchalantly on a ginger bread they had for breakfast.

"Nanami! Stop talking when chewing something, how many times have I told you that!" Nanri glared at her elder daughter.

"Hahaha! That's right sister, you're so stupid!" Hanari laughed not realizing that she was still chewing on a bread too.

"Hanari! You too! Shut up and eat!" Nanri heaved a sigh. Her stupid daughters never learned!

"Hah!" Nanami stuck her tongue out at Hanari who stuck her tongue back at her elder sister.

Nanri heaved a sigh again. Her stupid, not to mention, _childish_ daughters never, really learned.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Shiki's mother was a beautiful vampire. She had a pale white skin, long eyelashes, straight long dark red hair, small red lips and slim body. She was almost near perfect. If it weren't for her strange behaviors and how she treated her only son, Senri. She had always wanted him to remain silent, not to develop feelings, just stay still like a puppet. No one knew why it was always like that. Only her. And she hadn't had the intention to let anyone know. Yes indeed she taught her son some things that involved gentleness but she had other intentions for that as well.

So after hearing that her son, Senri, brought a girl to their palace, she was not pleased. Yes, she always preferred a girl to him but knowing that he would only refuse them or that he wouldn't feel anything towards them, she kept doing the same thing over and over. They needed an heir, that was for sure but she didn't need Senri to feel an emotion towards the woman. She only needed an heir from her son. But he brought a girl and what did that mean? Obviously, it was on his own will, and Senri's mother wouldn't just let it be. Her son who she taught not to be too sociable was being affected by a girl so suddenly.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Shiki and Rima finished eating the breakfast that Miss Takashi made for them. Finally, Rima was able to remember the head maid's name. But their breakfast was almost a lunch. They didn't realize it until they looked at the wall clock hanging above the bed inside the room they were in. It was already eleven o'clock! Wait... There's something more important than that. What was it again? Rima was surely forgetting about something... What-

"Oh damn it!" suddenly, Rima yelled.

Shiki looked quickly at her and raised a brow.

"What is it?"

"Idiot! What am I supposed to tell my stepmother huh? I'm... Ugh, never mind! I need to go home now," Rima stood up from her seat in front of Shiki at the table. Shiki did the same thing but only stared at her.

"What? Why do you always look at me like that? It's creepy Shiki," Rima bluntly said.

Ow, that hurt him. He didn't know why but something just stabbed his heart? What was that stinging pain inside him? And... why was it at his chest?

"Rima, wait," unexpectedly, Shiki pleaded. A soft tone mixed in his usual cold voice.

Rima looked at him and waited for what he was going to say. Damn, Rima was in a very, very dangerous situation already. She could imagine the evil auras that was emitting from her two stepsisters not to mention, from her stepmother too. Oh how she felt like banging her head on a wall as she got irritated at the thought. Troublesome things were bound to happen to her.

"Shiki, are you going to speak or not?"

"Uh.."

"If nothing, I'll be going now." Rima waved her right hand a bit before turning herself into the door. But as she walked towards it, she felt something stopped her. Wait... she was on a palace and surely, she wouldn't know where the exit was, but... no, wait. Something different was stopping her from leaving. What was it? Something within her was starting to get persistent, her blood was becoming warm and something was welling inside her? Oh for pocky's sake, what was it? She had no idea what she was starting to feel. Suddenly, dizziness swept over her but she wouldn't let it win for the second time.

Shiki only watched her as she made her move to leave but she suddenly stopped. He wondered why? She was standing still in the middle of the room, as if lost. What happened? Shiki felt himself asking more questions to himself than getting answers for his previous questions. Then he decided to walk towards her.

Hearing Shiki's footsteps behind her, Rima stiffened. She could smell the scent of a vampire now? Shiki's scent was... alluring... What? Wait, what was wrong with her! She wasn't herself. She was becoming someone else! Rima clenched her fist at her sides, not daring to turn her whole body to him. Or else she felt that she'd do something unbelievable.

"Rima..." Shiki was behind her now. Slowly, he reached out his arm, and soon enough, he was hugging her from behind. Both arms wrapped around her as he lowered his head and rested it on her shoulder. Rima widened her gem blue eyes. Shiki's breathing was soft... warm. She shook her head mentally. What was happening? She didn't need this feeling! And yet why didn't she want him to let go? She didn't want this emotion! And yet... why did she want to know more about it?

Shiki thought Rima was going to struggle or punch him, or anything that would make him go away and let her go, which was why he was really surprised that she leaned onto his embrace. Rima was leaning onto him! Oh damn how could he control the lust for blood that began to stir within him again? It was the first time he felt annoyed with it but at the same time, feeling warmth because of it. Anyway, why did he embrace her? He was doing ridiculous things...

"Shiki, give me some blood..." Rima couldn't believe she really said that. What the hell? She was as surprised as Shiki. But she had to go out from there. Soon.

"Alright," Shiki replied flatly as though it was very natural. With this, Rima whacked his arm that wrapped around her. Shiki flinched but didn't let go.

"Let go Shiki."

"No. You said you want blood."

"No, I... That was, that was just testing you!"

"Huh? For what?"

"Uh, if you'd really let me..."

"But I was serious Rima."

Shiki spun her around gently so that they were facing each other. Shiki indeed had a serious expression while Rima had a confused one. If this kept on going... she might really just drink his blood right there and then. But he was holding both her arms firmly to keep her still. And she was getting pissed off especially with her stupid heart beats that kept on banging loudly inside her chest.

"Shi-" Rima was about to speak when Shiki brought up his left hand to caress her cheeks and brushed his thumb across her lips. Rima blinked. She knew by now that a blush was taunting to creep up her face. Why was it that this idiot prince never failed to make her feel emotions she never expected to feel towards anyone?

Then the stirring Rima felt within her was fully identified. Rima knew now it was for Shiki's blood. Her lust for his blood. She finally gave up and held the hand that Shiki used to caress her cheeks. He looked at her surprisingly before softening his facial features. He knew what she was trying to do. She was looking for his beating pulse but instead of targeting his neck, she chose his hand. At first, she brought his palm near her lips and traced the pulse that was silently beating from his veins. Rima felt sharp teeth growing inside her mouth. _Ah the fangs..._ Then as if she lost her normal self, she opened her mouth slightly and carefully dug the so-called fangs she had against the smooth skin of his palm drawing out the red substance she was getting hungry for.

It was like a teasing for Shiki though, since she was only nibbling on it as if she was a new born baby that was still starting to learn how to eat. On the other hand, Rima felt a great sensation of excitement from his blood. She heard Shiki groan lightly but she couldn't control herself. She started to suck blood then. It was the first time for her and it was too much. She felt lots of new different emotions coarse through her, she was becoming greedy! No, she needed to stop, she had to stop...

Shiki noticed Rima's anxiety. But he felt strangely comfortable with her sucking his blood now. He then brought his other free hand from her arm to her back and pulled her against him. Rima closed her eyes firmly feeling too overwhelmed by the warmth that was coming from him. Was a vampire supposed to be this warm?

"Rima..." him, calling her voice wasn't helping. Ugh. She knew she had to stop before it was too late so she forced herself to do so. Pulling her fangs out, she licked the wound on his palm cleaning the blood that was dripping from it. Shiki was looking at her with half-shut eyelids. Rima saw it making her blush again. _Idiot Shiki..._

Then he did an unbelievable thing. Yes, a _really_, unbelievable thing.

"Shiki wha-" before she could react, she found herself pressed firmer against him and his lips against hers. Her mind became clouded and she was trying to figure out what was happening. _What in the world... _He was kissing her!

Shiki didn't have an idea as to why he did that. He just felt like he wanted to, and he could barely control himself, Rima was too much for him. What was it that he was feeling? What was it that kept on making him do stupid things?

_Why does he become an idiot when he was with her?_

After like forever, Shiki broke the kiss as he looked at her widening his eyes. Rima was no different. She seemed entirely shocked. Shiki frowned at himself. He was getting out of control already and it wasn't even two days yet since they met.

Rima felt embarrassed and... mad! But...she didn't hate it. Why? She didn't know! And she didn't _want_ to know. Then she registered to her mind what had actually happened. Shiki kissed her... A beautiful blush quickly spread across her cheeks as she gritted her teeth.

"Per... y-you... Shiki's a ...pervert! Idiot, you...!" Rima's tantrum was cut off when a knock echoed from outside the door.

"I'm sorry, Rima-"

Rima turned away and stomped off towards the door, she thought she'd open it and she thought the knock was a good timing. She had to ease her mind, but what a complicated door knob the door had! Shiki then followed her and instead opened the door himself. It was Miss Takashi, with an anxious face. Shiki felt something bad was approaching them. He had a bad feeling about it.

"Young master... your mother," she paused then continued, "decided to open a night ball party for you to choose your... fiance, and her highness said, it will be the day after tomorrow."

Now that was something Rima hadn't expected. She should have felt freed and happy right? Yeah, she should have but instead she felt the opposite and what was more? There was a sudden clench inside her chest. And she knew what was it._ Stupid heart_.

"What?" Shiki didn't like the idea. His mother was plotting something against his own will... He just knew it.

* * *

I hope it turned out alright.. T^T I'm sorry if the kiss scene was rushed but, if I'm going to explain it, I'll say that yes they were aware of the attraction between them, it's just that they don't realize **yet** that it was already more than they thought it would be. Shiki in confusion, Rima in denial x] Haha. So the kiss was something Shiki had done because of his instincts. Maybe a friction between them, if that makes sense. ^^

Anyway, hope u have good days and good nights!

~Terru


	9. Chapter 9: Invitation

A/N: Hello! I just typed this and edited...I'm so sleepy but I wanted to type it right away b4 it becomes very late update! I love u all my readers. This got 1000+ hits and it's the fic I got the highest hit so far. I'm really, really happy! It's 2 o'clock am(dawn) here btw T.T so forgive me for errors...I hope it turned out ok.. :] THANK U SO MUCH EVERYONE!(That includes those who read this even though not reviewing, those who added this to their story alert, those who added me as their favorite author and to those who kept reviewing and showing me support) :]

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own this anime/manga. All credits belong to Hino Matsuri-sensei. The weird idea of Cinderella that popped out in my head is the only thing I own here. :] Oh. Cinderella is NOT mine too..

_

* * *

"Young master... your mother," she paused then continued, "decided to open a night ball party for you to choose your... fiance, and her highness said, it will be the day after tomorrow."_

_Now that was something Rima hadn't expected. She should have felt freed and happy right? Yeah, she should have but instead she felt the opposite and what was more? There was a sudden clench inside her chest. And she knew what was it._ Stupid heart.

_"What?" Shiki didn't like the idea. His mother was plotting something against his own will... He just knew it._

Chapter 9:

The ball party invitation

"What?"

"My apologies young master, I... was surprised at her sudden decision about it too." Miss Takashi bowed her head before Shiki and Rima.

"I... don't want that. I won't go," declined Shiki.

Rima widened her eyes slightly as she looked at his face from the corner of her eyes while she was standing beside him. Shiki was declining such opportunity? But why... Suddenly, the moments that happened just a while ago swarm through her mind. Shiki's soft lips that was pressed against her own, his hands that held her securely, his scent that was drawing her in. Rima found herself seeing only Shiki in her head. Shiki, Shiki, and Shiki. _What the hell? _Rima shook her head mentally.

Miss Takashi noticed the petite girl beside her young master lowering her gaze. _Oh my... it must have been a shock to her_. Miss Takashi felt herself crying for the sweet young lady who happened to be her master Senri Shiki's lover. Or so she actually thought...

Rima lowered her gaze raising her brow trying to get Shiki's face out of her head. It was getting annoying though she wasn't particularly hating it. Which she wouldn't admit, even to herself. Then feeling irritated with herself, she quickly lifted her head up and tapped at Shiki's shoulder.

"I'm going home," said Rima in a cold tone of voice, as usual.

"Oh... are you going to be alright? I mean-"

"Don't worry about it."

Shiki looked at her sadly. He felt anxious with Rima going back to her place. She seemed alright though. Her face, the usual with impassive touch on it. He couldn't figure out what he was feeling about her. All he knew was that he cared for her and that he didn't want to let her go, he was attracted to her. But, was it all there was to it? Attraction? Was it only that? Or...

"Rima. Come to the ball party," said Shiki, not really an invitation but a command to her ears. Rima stared at him strangely. The idiot prince was really an idiot... Telling her to come to the ball party that easily when he knew that she was a maid. She'd be the only one wearing the maid dress while everyone would wear elegant gowns and jewelries. Ugh, she could imagine that, very clear. Pathetic. Rima glared at Shiki, which surprised him a little bit.

"If you want to see me so badly in a maid dress while on your ball party, then I'd go," Rima muttered sarcastically.

Shiki blinked a few times. _Did she actually think I'd let her be in the party without wearing a proper dress? _He chuckled. Rima was really amusing. No. Way beyond amusing. He grinned almost teasingly.

"What?" asked an annoyed Rima.

"Rima, you wouldn't be wearing a maid dress in the party."

"Huh? Then what would I wear? Casual dirty clothes? Worse!"

"No. You'll see. I'll send someone to come pick you up."

"I haven't said anything that I'll come!"

"You have to, Rima. Please..."

Rima quirked a brow at Shiki. Now he was pleading? He was just commanding her a while ago! What a weird prince.

Miss Takashi looked at the two couples arguing with a smile on her face. She dearly hoped whatever her young master's mother's planning wouldn't succeed. Miss Rima and the young master Shiki looked perfect together in the head maid's eyes. For the first time in her stay there as the head maid and Shiki's caretaker, she could see the life that was blooming in his eyes. The color of life that she never once saw from him. It had always been dull, without emotion, as if a doll. Miss Takashi felt so happy for her young master. _He finally found a meaning to his rather silent life..._

"Right. I got it," Rima finally agreed after her arguments with Shiki. Of course, without not having her eyes rolled.

Shiki nodded and smiled which made Rima stared at him in disbelief.

"Miss Takashi, I'll be out for a while."

"Oh alright young master."

"Wait, why would you be out?"

Shiki didn't answer, instead he grabbed Rima's wrist and dragged her with him. Miss Takashi placed both her hands over her chest. Her young master really became aggressive. No doubt about it.

By the time Shiki gripped her wrist, Rima's blue eyes were already widening and her mouth gaping. She wanted to say something but decided against it. Maybe this time, she'd just follow him. Rima looked away as she resumed walking behind the red maroon-haired prince. She figured out it wasn't that bad. Actually, not at all. A small, very small tugging of her lips upward could have been seen if only Shiki got to look behind him.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Nanri was looking at the clock on top of her desk inside her room. It was past noon, Rima was out there for more than a day! And with the gorgeous prince, unforgivable. Nanri's face was turning red in rage. Then the doorbell rung. Nanri's head jerked towards her room door and stomped outside swiftly heading to where the doorbell was ringing from.

When she reached the living room and the front door, she opened it and saw the orange-haired girl she had been waiting standing there. With the prince. Nanri's jaw dropped in a second but quickly forced a smile.

"Oh my, look who's back, my dear stepdaughter, I've been worried so much!" Nanri faked her tone of voice from anger to a sweet one.

Rima felt vomiting, it doesn't fit her evil stepmother to act nice! She preferred her evil than that, it was making her shiver in disgust. Nanri's brow twitched when Rima didn't utter even a single word of response. This maid was getting on her nerves, she was already in a foul mood because of her, and here she was, adding fuel to the flame. Nanri then grabbed Rima's arm firmly that it startled her. Shiki thought Rima's stepmother was nice but there was something wrong. He was uncertain if it was really alright for him to just leave her there.

"Now if you may excuse us Prince Senri Shiki. I still have something to talk about with this little sweet girl here." Nanri was flashing a gentle smile and yet evil to Rima.

"Alright." Shiki nodded while looking at Nanri then turned his gaze at Rima who was knitting her brows together. Yes, there was definitely something wrong. Still feeling anxious, Shiki bowed his head slightly before turning on his heels to leave.

As soon as Nanri saw the prince waved a hand at her guards indicating that he was leaving, she pulled Rima inside and slammed the door shut. She was raising her eyebrow at her. Now the evil stepmother was back. Rejoice! Or could Rima really feel that?

"You ungrateful kid. Why haven't you come back yesterday? What did you do with the prince?" Nanri began her rantings...

And it wasn't even Rima's fault. _Shiki bit me and I fell unconscious, that's what I remember! It was his fault_. Was what she wanted to say but, there was no way she'd say he bit her. Her stepmother didn't know anything about vampires, did she?

"Nothing-"

"And you dare talk back!"

'But you asked me first. Ugh. I was just trying to answer.' Rima thought inwardly getting irritated as seconds passed.

Nanri raised an eyebrow then pulled Rima's arm hardly, dragging her somewhere... Rima had a very bad feeling but her expression remained emotionless. Nanri was quite pleased that Rima was only following her, she then smirked. _Hmph, you won't be seeing the prince anymore._ _I've already given you enough time to be dreamy about him._

When they arrived at a room on the underground basement and entered it, Rima gulped. It was a bit dark with only one lamp on a desk to probably lighten the whole room when night came, and it was dusty, she could see the small feather-like dusts floating around the air, and oh God, did she just see a rat running under the dirty couch that was on the corner? Rima was about to struggle when Nanri pushed her further inside and quickly ran outside to lock the door. Rima almost fell down on the ground but instantly grasped what was happening and rushed towards the now locked door.

"Wait, no, let me out!" Rima yelled desperately.

"Hah, that's what you get for having tricks up your sleeve, seducing the gorgeous prince. You do know that you're no level to him, right? And that one of my daughters would be the matching one to him," said Nanri arrogantly.

An angry vein popped out on Rima's temple. Now she was really pissed. First of all. She did _not_ seduce the idiot prince! For pocky's sake! Who ever seduced him was an idiot as well! Therefore, Rima wasn't. Yeah, she wasn't. And second...

"I... I was once a princess too!" Rima gasped. Now what did she _just_ say? That was like defending her status as a match for the prince! She didn't mean to say it, but the very idea of her two stepsisters clinging on Shiki suddenly got pretty annoying. To her, that is.

"That was before, not anymore! Now be a good maid and stay there silently. Get bored? Then clean that room! Hah!" Nanri laughed evilly as she placed her hand in front of her mouth posing her fingers like a ballerina dancer.

Rima didn't response. She was now looking around the room and thought it wasn't that bad at all but everything was disheveled. One thing for sure, she'd turn dusty anytime soon.

Nanri raised an eyebrow and pushed her ears against the door. She heard small hum and pleasant tone of voice as the petite girl complimented some of the materials she found inside the room. Nanri's face turned red in humiliation once again. _How dare she ignore me? Hmph fine! Soon she'll be wailing there and will be calling for me to have mercy and to free her. As if I would though! _

With that, Nanri turned on her heels to leave. Rima, inside the room was still fascinated by some of the stuffs there. There were really old antiques and beautiful looking vases. It would have been better if the vases were to be filled with fresh flowers, Rima's eyebrows began clashing one another. It seemed like she wouldn't be able to go to Shiki after all... She should not feel bothered by it right? She didn't want to go there in the first place anyway. Right? So then why would her heart feel like it was in the verge of sinking? She clenched her fists. How long must she be like this around her stepmother? She was so tired of it! She looked pathetic and she hated it. She really missed her father...

Good thing she ate something at Shiki's place before going home. Now she didn't know until when would she be stuck there. Honestly, she would be sick. The dusts were tickling her nose, and now she was a vampire, it was worse for her scent was higher than of normal humans. Which made her smell the dusts even more. Maybe she should go berserk? Nah, she wasn't stupid.

Sighing, Rima stood still in the middle of the room. There wasn't even a window... But then, what could she expect? It was a room in the underground basement. She felt... lost, fragile and her most hated feeling; weak. She felt weak... vulnerable. If she couldn't even do anything to free herself from there, she wouldn't be a good match for Shiki.

"Wait. What am I talking about?" She wasn't thinking that she wanted to be a good match to the red maroon-haired idiot just now, was she? Gah, she was getting insane. Shiki this, Shiki that. _Annoying. Annoying! _Rima shook her head and lowered her gaze. But, she wanted to be free. As much as she hated admitting it, she wanted to go to the ball party. Not to participate in it, neither to be able to meet gorgeous people but to see Shiki. She told him she'd go, and so she would. Right now, she only wanted to see him.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Nanami and Hanari were playing pranks outside their palace-like house when someone dropped by their gate unexpectedly. The guards talked to the young man and waited for his message. Nanami saw them and immediately got curious.

"Hey hey Hanari, who do you think is that?" Nanami pointed at the young man wearing royal guard suit, he looked elegant but still different from the Prince.

Hanari looked at the direction her elder sister was pointing. When she saw them, she blinked unbelievably. The young man was handsome! Not as handsome as the Prince Senri Shiki but enough to make Hanari's heart flip inside her chest. Her eyes were forming like a heart shape and she suddenly wore a dreamy look. Nanami noticed this and rolled her eyes before whacking Hanari's backside of head.

"Ouch!" Hanari yelped.

"What are you being dreamy for? Even a handsome man like him won't notice you," hissed Nanami.

"That's mean!"

"Oh yeah?"

Then a thought rushed to Nanami's head. Wait... if her younger sister wouldn't be interested in the Prince anymore, then her rivals would lessen. That's it! Hanari had to be with that man. Nanami smirked while Hanari was still staring dreamily at his new prince, fingers intertwined in front of her chest.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

The two guards who talked to the young messenger received a letter and they gave it immediately to their master, Nanri. Both exchanging glances as they saw the two sisters jumped happily. Then knowing their place, they excused themselves.

Nanri was in excitement when she saw it was an invitation for a ball party that would be held in the palace of Prince Senri Shiki. Her two daughters seemed to be excited too. Nanami was of course, aiming for the prince while Hanari aiming for her new prince. Yes, Hanari didn't think of Prince Shiki anymore, instead prince messenger. Yeah, the handsome messenger who happened to be ordered to send the invitations to all houses. Poor messenger.

"You see this my dear daughters? You both should be extremely beautiful okay? Either of you should marry the prince no matter what. Am I making myself clear?" Nanri put both her hands on her waist, the invitation letter on her right hand.

"Yes, mother!" exclaimed Nanami.

"No, mother!" exclaimed Hanari at the same time as Nanami.

Nanri nodded satisfied but then soon realized what Hanari's response.

"What did you say Hanari?"

"Uh..."

"Nothing mother! Hanari is in her state of craziness now because of excitement to see Prince Senri Shiki, isn't that right Hanari?" Nanami nudged her younger sister's side and glared at her from the corner of her eyes.

"Oh really? Alright then." Nanri stared at her youngest daughter, suspicious of something.

Sweat was threatening to drop from Hanari's forehead but nonetheless she smiled nervously and nodded.

_I forgot I can't tell my mother that I'm in love with a ...mere messenger. Agh._

Hanari sure fell in love with a different person too fast.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Rima was staring at the wall in front of her. The beige wall that was painted with chocolate brown like mud and dirt was the only thing she was staring at for a while now. What was she thinking? Well. Of course a plan on how to escape. Oh yeah, she was a vampire right? She searched for her memories to see if there could be something strange she'd have done before... She knew she had, but couldn't remember. She was sure though that if ever she had, it would have had something to do with her, being originally vampire.

Rima's legs were actually starting to ache. She had been standing still for like what... four hours. And it was soon night, she assumed. Heaving a disappointed sigh, Rima decided to clean the couch for a little bit. She had only one day and two nights left before the ball party. She definitely had to find a way to escape.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

After arriving back at their palace, Shiki headed directly to his mother's room. He'd have a good talk with her. He could convince her. If not, Rima would still be there at the party and he'd tell his mother about her by that time. He hoped that Rima was alright, he could feel a slight doubt in him that she was okay but he'd shrug it, not wanting the thought to be like real. Absolutely not. Shiki scowled mentally. Everything would go fine... right?

* * *

I'm really sorry if some parts are rushed but it was ...needed in the plot(?) for the sake of a happy ending for everyone!^^

Have good days and good nights everyone!

~Terru


	10. Chapter 10: Changes

A/N: Sorry! I'm sorry, I know this is a bit late... I hope you still continue reading this. I'm sorry for this chapter, I wasn't satisfied with it to be honest, but I couldn't get my head to work more, I'm so tired in my part-time job and all :[ I still hope this turned out ok despite that.(I did my best to edit it over and over...) Anyway, I'll do my best in next chapters too. Also, this is nearing the end, I think. I hope u enjoy reading!^^ Anyone is welcome to leave a review.

I'm always thankful to those who read this, added to story alerts, added to their favs, added me as one of their and reviewed! :D I love u all.

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own this anime/manga. All credits belong to Hino Matsuri-sensei. The weird idea of Cinderella that popped out in my head is the only thing I own here. :] Oh. Cinderella is NOT mine too..

_

* * *

After arriving back at their palace, Shiki headed directly to his mother's room. He'd have a good talk with her. He could convince her. If not, Rima would still be there at the party and he'd tell his mother about her by that time. He hoped that Rima was alright, he could feel a slight doubt in him that she was okay but he'd shrug it, not wanting the thought to be like real. Absolutely not. Shiki scowled mentally. Everything would go fine... right?_

Chapter 10:

Change of hearts

The orange-haired girl sat silently on the now clean couch. One day had passed. One day had already _passed_. She was hungry. Gritting her teeth, she decided that she'd do whatever it would take just to make her stepmother or stepsisters bring her food, at least anything that would make her appetite satisfied. Rima sighed inwardly. Not only that. The ball party was going to be on the night. Maybe, she wouldn't make it to him despite of her promise... Wait, she didn't promise him! She just... didn't want Shiki to think that she decided not to go to the ball to see him. But then, why did she not want him to have a thought such as that?

She was beginning to crave for blood too. Rima rolled her eyes. Since her vampire side was awaken, from then on, she had to suck it, drink it and from who? Surely no other than _him_. Rima knew she could only get hungry for that idiot's blood. And she felt it. Shiki was the one who offered too anyway, why'd she refuse? Better take advantage... Rima shook her head as she lowered her gaze, still sitting on the couch. No. She absolutely had no intention of using Shiki for her own benefits.

"Shiki..." Rima mumbled his name below her breathe, longingly.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The sound banging was like due to a panic and it startled her causing her head to jerk towards the wooden door quickly. Then the knock echoed again. Rima instantly stood up and walked to the door.

"Rima, Rima hey! Open!" Rima raised an eyebrow. She knew that voice very well but then, why was one of her stepsisters there banging on her door as if she was being chased by some... monster that she had to panic that badly?

"Hanari?" Rima replied and folded her arms over her chest. Didn't Hanari know that Rima was locked there and she couldn't open it unless someone unlock it from outside? Honestly. If she could do that, she'd be out already. Or was her stepsister that stupid?

"You do know that I can't open the door from here, right?"

"Oh, really? Agh, wait here, I will take the key and we'll have to talk, alright!"

"What do we-"

Before Rima could finish what she was going to ask, Hanari's footsteps stomping off could be already heard. She wouldn't even explain first! Ah, Rima forgot to ask for some food. She mentally facepalmed and shifted her weight over to the left side. Now her chance of getting something to eat was gone.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Shiki couldn't believe it. He was feeling furious and disappointed at the same time. Along with the emotions of being sad. He tried talking to his mother the other day, but she wouldn't just let him explain. Why? He would decide for his own life and not her!

_As Shiki reached his mother's room, he politely knocked and waited for her response. When he got, he immediately entered in and began forming the words in his throat. _

"_Mother," Shiki called._

"_What is it Senri?" _

_The look on his mother seemed displeased. He observed her facial expressions for a while before telling her what he went there for._

"_Please, cancel the ball party. I don't want a fiance, for now."_

"_I can't. I already ordered someone to send the party invitations to all houses that had maidens."_

"_What? Why, but-"_

"_Don't contradict my decisions Senri. It's the best for you."_

"_No. Don't do this to me mother, I won't go there, I don-"_

"_Senri! You dare talk back to me! Stop your nonsense and get out, now."_

_Shiki could only knit his brows together as he clutched his fists in his sides. His only hope now was for Rima to come in the party and he'd show his mother that he didn't need anyone other than the orange-haired girl. Whether he still wasn't sure if he liked her or not, he was certain that she was the only girl he had ever felt like being with. No one else could have made him smile genuinely, nor could have changed his dead life into a living one._

Heaving a sigh, Shiki walked to the window of his room and leaned on its pane helplessly. Remembering the conversation between him and his mother gave him a headache. But honestly, he had never once thought he'd find someone like her, someone he'd consider special, someone he'd consider worth of his protecting that even though he knew she could protect herself, he still wanted to let her know that he'd be there for her...

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Rima's body slumped in the couch as she waited for Hanari to come back. She was really hungry. For both food and blood. _Shiki_... Rima gasped as soon as the idiot prince's name left her lips. Did Shiki become that huge part in her life already that she'd randomly mumble his name or think of him whenever she didn't realize? She then shook her head as lots of emotions swarm through her gem blue eyes. Sorrow, confusion, anger, doubt... She didn't know which feeling weighed the most in her. One thing she was sure though was, a small portion of her heart was already open for him.

Rima sat up after she heard a click that came from the door. When it opened, she saw Hanari standing there with a bread in her hand, not to mention a glass of water. Hanari then entered inside and closed the door mutely, putting the key in her right pocket.

"Rima-chan," Hanari began.

_What? Rima-chan? _Now Rima had a look of disgust in her face. Being called as Rima-chan was something new to her and it felt weird. Especially that one of her stepsisters did. What was wrong with this stepsister of her so suddenly?

"You're the only one who can help me."

"What do you mean?" asked Rima in frustration.

Hanari walked further the room and decided to sit beside Rima. She then handed the orange-haired girl the bread and glass of water. Rima blinked a few times in disbelief. What was Hanari up to? Taking the bread in her hand, she took a bite. It was one of those bread that was shaped like a moon, and it had been always a wonder to her what it was called but for now, she'd eat in her own pace.

"Rima-chan, please... please get the prince Shiki to marry you! And... and," Hanari paused, a red tint creeping up her cheeks.

Rima choke on her food, coughing hardly as she held her chest to ease her shock. People surely love shocking her and making her choke. Really. As much as she had expected for Hanari to say, that was one of the things she had never thought of hearing from her. _Seriously?_

"But why? I thought you want to marry him. Also why me? What about your sist-" Rima was cut off when Hanari shook her head hardly, allowing her brunette curly hair to sway with the motion.

"No. I found someone else, he was handsome..." the brunette-haired girl looked dreamy as she talked about her prince messenger.

"And one more thing, Prince Senri Shiki doesn't like my sister! So I won't have chance with my prince messenger because I know Prince Senri wouldn't marry her! And even if they did, my sister won't give attention to me once she gets what she wants anyway, she probably won't even let go of him, she'd... cling on him always like-" Rima cut her words, "an octopus." Hanari looked at Rima awkwardly before muffling a laugh. She held her stomach laughing as quiet as she could. Rima saw this and a small smile formed in her lips. Maybe, Hanari wasn't as bad as her elder sister. Alright, she still didn't have trust in her but, she felt like helping her for some reason.

"I get it," replied Rima as she stared at the wall ahead of them. This made Hanari stopped laughing and turned her head towards her in a quick motion.

"Really?" Hanari's eyes sparkled like that of a kid who received a candy.

"Yeah."

Hanari's facial expression softened even more and she did an unexpected manner. She hugged Rima from the side, wrapping her arms around her and burying her face on the maid's arm. Rima was startled at first but let her anyway. She was feeling a gentle emotion coming from the brunette-haired girl. She sure was in love with that messenger.

They stayed like that for a while as Hanari muttered her thanks to Rima repeatedly. Little did they know, there was someone standing behind the wooden door listening to their supposed-to-be secret conversation.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

The ball party would begin in an hour and Shiki felt even more anxious as seconds and minutes went by. The party's starting time was seven o'clock in the night. Looking at the mirror that reflected himself, he fixed his black with white stripes necktie. He was wearing a tuxedo of white coat with lapels, a black shirt under it then white pants with matching white leather shoes. His pure white tuxedo except for his black shirt, contrasted with his thick and wavy reddish maroon-colored hair.

Wearing his impassive face, he thought of how was Rima doing at the time. He didn't want the party to begin but at the same time, he couldn't wait for the moment he'd be able to introduce her to his mother and to everyone. He'd let them know that he wasn't available anymore, that he didn't want any other woman than the petite orange-haired girl. But he felt annoyed. His heart beat was skipping rapidly just by thinking of her, or just by saying her name. He felt nervous! Right, stupid heart beat.

Then a knock from the door echoed through his room.

"Come in," Shiki permitted.

"Yes, young master."

The head maid, miss Takashi entered. She had a sad expression as she faced Shiki. He noticed it and frowned. Never ever did he see her wear a face like that and it made him worry.

"Miss Takashi, what's wrong?"

"Oh? Young master, you're worrying about me when it is me who is worrying for you."

"What?"

"I know you do not want this party, I know you are in pain because of this, and I know that you love Miss Rima so much that you even went directly to her highness just to confront her about this whole fiance matter, and yes I knew you went to her." Miss Takashi said concernedly.

Shiki's mouth gaped open slightly. What did Miss Takashi just say?

"Love? I... love Rima?"

Miss Takashi looked at him weirdly as if he committed a sin. _What was this boy being confused about? Don't tell me... he didn't realize that he loves her? Oh my!_

"Young master, what would you call it then? Of course, it is _love_!" yelled Miss Takashi, emphasizing the term 'love'.

"But, couldn't it be plain infatuation? A..."

"No! It couldn't be just an infatuation. Stop denying yourself young master."

"Wha-" Shiki's heart beat rammed loudly inside his chest. He widened his eyes and stared into the space. _Love... I love her? But... We just met like three days ago! Can love be formed that fast with anyone? _He couldn't believe it. He was in love with Rima? Was it why he couldn't get her face off of his head? Was it why whenever he thought of her, his heart beat would skip rapidly like what was happening to him now? Was it why whenever he whispered her name, shivers of excitement and happiness went through up and down his spine? Was it... was it why he didn't want anyone else other than her to live his life with and to protect her?

Miss Takashi saw her young master analyzing what he had just realized and so she smiled, and despite of her old features of wrinkles on her face, her smile was a natural beauty and gentle. She was right about giving him a visit. Then she bowed her head and left the prince alone to himself.

"Rima..." Shiki closed his eyes shut savoring the confusing but good feeling of the new discovery he just found a while ago.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Shiki's mother would definitely succeed. She wouldn't let her son develop some feelings for anyone, she would make sure he'd live a silent life, no emotions controlling him, no colors blinding him, no sounds distracting him. That would be the best for him and she'd be happy with the perfection she had been molding in her hands. Senri Shiki was a perfection.

…

…

It was almost time for the party to begin. Everything was already settled in their palace. The chandeliers glowed brightly upon them, the numerous tables had building blocks of glasses along with the delicate bottles of wines, the black curtain covered the large windows preventing the glow of moon to shower upon them. Everything looked elegant and luxurious.

Shiki's mother grinned in satisfaction. The maidens together with their honorable parents started to arrive one by one. They were dressed in colorful evening gowns, hairs fixed in either buns on top of their heads or left untied, ends were curled adorably, and they were all beautiful. Of course, no one could surpass her beauty, that was what she honestly thought.

"Tonight's going to be an interesting night," Shiki's mother muttered to herself as she began walking off to go to her son's room.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Nanami stomped off angrily towards her mother's room. It was as if smokes were puffing out from her nose like a mad bull and her eyes held no happiness at all. The maid Rima and her stupid sister called her an octopus! Hanari even stated that Prince Senri Shiki didn't like her! It was unforgivable! What's more? Rima was going to steal Nanami's dear beloved husband away from her and she wouldn't let that happen! Rima was stupid for even thinking that she could level her royalty. They'd pay dearly. _Grrr..._

She then reached her mother's room and softly knock at first but when she got no response, she started banging on it loudly.

"Mother! Mother! Are you there? We need to talk!"

Nanri was putting a make-up on her face when Nanami knocked on her door. _God, what does she want this time? _She ignored it as she was too busy with her make-up then suddenly, the knock became a bang. Nanri rolled her eyes and scowled silently. Standing up from her chair in front of the tabled-mirror, Nanri dragged her feet to the door and opened it without a warning that Nanami fell forwards after she flailed her arms against the door violently in an attempt of another banging knock.

"Oomfh!" Nanami fell down on her stomach, arms stretched out forward and face almost crashed on the floor. Pathetic... Nanri folded her arms across her chest and looked at her silly daughter impatiently.

"And? What do you want to talk about? Gosh, the party's probably already starting! Change now Nanami!"

"No! Wait, don't let Hanari come with us mother! She is a traitor! She doesn't want to become a bride of the prince anyway," Nanami yelled bluntly while she used her hand to support her on standing up. _And to think that I actually consider of helping her. Stupid ungrateful cowardly brat._

"What? Tell me exactly what you mean."

"Well, I overheard her conversation with the maid..." Nanami told her mother everything she overheard from Hanari and Rima's talk. Nanri widened her eyes. No way in hell would she let the two ruin her reputation and dreams! Sneaky little kids needed punishments.

"Well. If that's so, we'll just have to lock them both up." Nanri's eyes glinted with evil look.

Nanami smirked. Now there weren't anyone who could get in her and the prince's way anymore.

* * *

Thank u for reading! :]

Have good days and good nights everyone!

~Terru


	11. Chapter 11: Party

A/N: Hello everyone! I hope u forgive me for updating late. BUT, the next chapter will come out fast because I already finished typing it. Just need editing :] And hm... Very near to end. :[ I'm trying my best to not make the situations rushed but... they seem to turn out that way. =/ I still hope u'll enjoy reading^^ Grammars edited by Nicha. Humor disappeared. Yes... I'm sorry v_v Anyway, please let me know when u spot error. Anyone is welcome to leave a review. THANK U TO ALL OF U!

Special Thanks to those who have reviewed from very beginning and to those who still supported this:

**ooamekiko**, **TouyaRima24**, **BlackNeonAngel**, **Idontownafanfiction**(dot)**netaccount**, **heartcrossedkey**, **pockylover**, **RandomReviewer** and **ScribblerOfDreams and FullMoon**!

** Disclaimer:** I do NOT own this anime/manga. All credits belong to Hino Matsuri-sensei. The weird idea of Cinderella that popped out in my head is the only thing I own here. :] Oh. Cinderella is NOT mine too..

_

* * *

"Well, I overheard her conversation with the maid..." Nanami told her mother everything she overheard from Hanari and Rima's talk. Nanri widened her eyes. No way in hell would she let the two ruin her reputation and dreams! Sneaky little kids needed punishments._

_"Well. If that's so, we'll just have to lock them both up." Nanri's eyes glinted with an evil look._

_Nanami smirked. Now there wouldn't be anyone who could get into her and the prince's way anymore._

Chapter 11:

The Ball Party

The ball party had just begun. Shiki was sitting on his bed with his upper body bent forward, elbow resting on his lap as he looked down. Uncertainty was enveloping his mind. He knew Rima would come, he knew it. He believed in her and yet... there was an anxiety lingering on him, he couldn't understand as to what it was. He felt as though he had gone to a desert, and after a long time he was now looking for the water his body needed. He was looking for that essential something... _something_ at the back of his mind.

He closed his eyes just as someone knocked at the door.

"...Yes?" Shiki responded to the knock with an impatient tone in his voice.

"I'm coming in Senri."

Shiki's eyes snapped open. It was his mother. After hearing the door creaking as it opened, he stood up and turned to face the figure who was slowly approaching him.

"You should come down now. Our guests have arrived and there are many princesses waiting for you."

"Mother... I think… this isn't really a good idea."

"What are you talking about? You're coming with me."

Shiki's mother grabbed his arm and pulled him with her. As they stepped outside his room, he could hear the crowd cheering downstairs. His mother grasped his arm so firmly that it almost looked as if she was digging her sharp black nails on his skin. Shiki's eyebrows were clashing with each other like swords as they made their way in front of the ladies and gentlemen. He assumed that the men in tuxedos were fathers of the young maidens.

_I don't want this_... Shiki cursed mentally at his lack of defiance. He would. He really would, if he could. But he knew it better to obey for now than to become stubborn. He'll save the rebellious attitude for later.

As they stopped in their tracks, Shiki looked at the crowds. His blue eyes immediately roamed around to look for the petite figure he'd got attached to. To no avail, he couldn't trace a sign of her. But then, the party had just begun. _She would come later_, he thought to himself.

"Good evening to everyone, ladies and gentlemen. I thank you all for your consideration of coming here tonight. I present here to you – my dear son – the next King to sit on the throne and to have the glorious crown: Senri Shiki."

Shiki's mother lifted her right arm and placed it on her son's left arm as she looked at the audience who were stunned by them both. She had her long hair loose, making her look younger and more attractive. She then glanced at her son only to see his uninterested face. She raised her left eyebrow slightly, being careful not to show to the humans. Her stubborn son was really trying to shorten her patience.

"Senri. Why don't you _greet_ our guests? I'm sure you'll have fun. Try talking to the girls, do you understand?"

She moved her right hand behind him and pushed him forward, almost forcefully, but in an unnoticeable manner. He frowned. He obeyed and stepped forward before he put up a forced, slight smile on his face for everyone there.

"Good evening... It is my pleasure to have you all here for the ball. As my mother said earlier, my name is Senri Shiki. I welcome you all and wish you'll have fun."

Shiki didn't have the intention of announcing about the fiancé matter but it was already too late as his mother stepped forward too and wore her heart-whelming smile.

"Everyone, I apologize for something. I have not included it in the invitations that everyone have received but, any of the young maidens who attended here tonight and who are willing to join my son at his throne can be candidates for his fiancé-to-be."

Shiki jerked his head towards his mother and scowled. Worries began filming through inside his head. He didn't like how it sounded. No. He didn't like the very idea at all.

"Mother."

Before Shiki could speak, most of the crowds have gasped and squealed. Apparently, squeals from the girls, but different murmurs also joined in. Shiki furrowed his brows while his mother stared at their guests. Then, a young maiden made her way through the crowds and stopped just in front of Shiki and the Queen. She had curly yellow-gold hair, and wore a luxurious purple gown with lots of diamonds hanging at her waist serving as a belt and a v-neck with laces. Her face was as beautiful as an angel. Shiki's mother studied her appearance. Shiki was only looking at her blankly.

"My apologies for doing something unwanted like this her highness but, I've heard that Prince Senri here, already has a fiancé..." she stopped, searching for words she should carefully say.

"Fiancé? My son?" Shiki's mother looked at Shiki quizzically.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Hanari was wailing. As in... crying out loud. _For damn pocky's sake, she was so loud! _Rima looked at the young brunette girl who was sobbing on the couch, face buried into a soft cushion.

So... they were locked. She was locked. Again. It happened not long ago. Actually, it had only been _minutes_ ago. It was while she was talking with Hanari, that a sound of clicking from the door suddenly interrupted them. And before they could even manage to register in their minds that they were trapped in the dusty room, the perpetrator was already gone. Silence shrouded them like a blanket. Rima remained calm, but Hanari suddenly cried. _She was such a _kid.

"Hanari. Stop crying." Rima went to the couch and pat the brunette's shoulder, trying to comfort her in her own way.

"I'll think of a way to get out."

With that said, Hanari suddenly grabbed Rima's hands and nodded fervently.

"Yes. Yes! I will... I think I know who did it! My selfish sister!" Hanari exclaimed.

"I guess so. Maybe your mother too."

"What? No way! My mother wouldn't do this to me!" she began crying again.

"She could. Considering that she didn't come here for you when I am quite sure they were headed to the Prince's castle by now.

Hanari looked at her for a while, as if looking for the lie in what she had just said. But Rima's face was serious, and there was a point in what she said so... she couldn't be joking...

Rima gazed into space, eyes distant. The party was probably beginning now. She had to get out from this hell locked room and go to him. Wait. Go to him? Rima only wanted to go there and meet him as she had told him she would. Rima was the type to do what she'd said. But what could she do? Resuming her search into her memories to find out if there was something strange she did before she found out that she was a vampire, Rima sat on the couch and let her hands flopped on the sheets.

"Rima, I just remembered... You were locked three days ago in the barn near our garden right? How did you get out? You must use your technique here now!" Hanari shook Rima's arm.

Now that the brunette girl reminded her... How did Rima...

_"Ugh, why am I letting them do this to me?"_ _...Well, she was going to follow their orders because after all, after her father died, they took her in. Just that, not as a member of the family but as a maid. Ouch... ..._

_Rima was sitting on the ground with her legs outstretched in front. At least, she had the time now to relax. _Oh. _Rima blinked a few times. Maybe it wasn't that bad she was there now. She didn't have to do anything! How could she not realize that? _Ah but_... she was still locked._

_As Rima tilted her head to one side and looked at the locked door again. She carefully stood up and dragged herself towards it. Lifting her right hand and tracing the lock with her delicate finger, a spark was suddenly created and the lock opened... _Spark_..._

Rima's already round eyes turned larger as she quickly stood up, startling Hanari. That was it. She had created a... spark back at that moment! A spark. A flow of electric charge. That must be her power as a vampire. It couldn't be something normal. Suddenly, she could feel a tingling sensation within her as if something inside her was beginning to stir at the sound of _spark_. At least, this time, Hanari was able to give her hint unknowingly. She then looked down at her hands. It might take a little time to figure out how to make use of it though...

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

"Senri? What does she mean?" Shiki's mother was glaring at him in a way that only _he_ could manage to know that her look was indeed a glare. Shiki remained silent. He couldn't remember...

"Senri. Answer me."

"Mother, I-"

Suddenly, a maiden with another curly yellow hair sneaked between the crowds and stood in front of the queen and Shiki. She was wearing a lime-green, long, bumpy gown, with long sleeves and a match of red shoes... which didn't really fit her dress. Shiki's mother wore an incredulous look as she stared at the plain faced maiden. Her face was long and her nose was bigger than a normal person could have. Her eyes and long eyelashes were the only ones to pull her ugliness into a normal... maiden face.

"I'm Prince Senri Shiki's fiancé!"

Everyone gasped, including Shiki's mother and Shiki himself as he became over-frustrated. He blinked. _Oh, that girl. Rima's stepsister_...

"Excuse me?" Shiki's mother was raising her brows.

Every single one of their guests were murmuring and whispering to each other, clearly surprised by the revelation happening in front of them.

Shiki sighed inwardly. His thoughts drifted off to only one girl: Rima. Then the young blond haired girl smiled gleefully. But soon after that, she was pulled hardly by an older woman who had her hair in a bun on top of her head. She then bowed her head slightly and muttered an apology for her daughter's ill manners. _Stupid daughter_... _Ruining this perfect chance_.

After she said her apology, she turned back and dragged Nanami, only to be stopped when Shiki's mother called after them, 'wait'.

Both of them turned back to her.

"So, you are my son's fiancé. I see, I now understand. That's good, Senri. You never told me, were you shy?"

If Shiki could glare at his mother, he would have already done so. But instead, he remained impassive as he stared at the older vampire smirking slightly at him.

Nanami stared at the queen in disbelief. She agreed? Her eyeballs could have come out of her sockets. Her mother, Nanri, was more than shocked. But she put aside the thought and instead, rejoiced. How wonderful the result had turned out. She didn't even have to put in an effort. _Hah!_

Shiki's mother noticed the annoyed glint in her son's blue eyes. She was satisfied with how things are turning out. She only agreed to that green-dressed girl because she was ugly! And of course, her son wouldn't even have the desire to feel any special emotion for her. _Perfect._ She then turned her back to the guests as she stood beside Shiki.

"Lonely that your truly dear little princess didn't come?"

Shiki involuntarily flinched at the malicious tone in his mother's voice. She was enjoying this. She was torturing his feelings. She was making him surrender without even having to try and do anything. _Damn it._ Did his mother really came to dislike him that much? He couldn't wish for anything but her happiness. It was true. His genuine care for her hadn't changed. But it was too much.

"She probably realized that she's no good for you."

Shiki slowly turned his head to the side to look at her.

"No matter what Senri, you have to live a perfect life. Without anything to ruin that. Without your emotions taking over you. You are my perfection, do you realize that? What's there in a perfection if something creates a crack in it."

"...You're wrong..."

"Hm?"

Shiki clenched his fists at his sides. Everyone except him and the Queen stood there, staring at the two with puzzled faces. A long silence hung in the air as awkwardness covered them. No one dared to move, no one dared to attempt speaking. It was only him and his mother there for that moment, and for Shiki, it was about time he voiced out his own rights.

"You're wrong. She will come. She will and I know it. This is enough, I don't want to be a perfection! I'm not an object, mother, I'm not a puppet! That girl taught me how to move. She taught me how to speak, how to feel. You..."

Then next thing he realized was his cheeks being thrown to the side from a hard impact.

"How dare you talk like that to your mother? That is what the girl taught you? To be stubborn, to be rebellious, to be a... worthless being!"

"No. You are wrong, mother. You were the one who kept me living like a still doll. I was worthless _back_ then. But now, not anymore."

Some of the young maidens gulped as they witnessed the arguments between the Queen and the prince. Some of them widened their eyes and screamed in their heads how cruel their prince's mother was to slap him like that. And the gentlemen only observed them with curiosity.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Hanari was walking silently through the bushes before she saw the castle. The castle where her prince messenger was in, waiting for her. How delusional could this brunette girl be? Seriously. She made her way to the back and saw a gate without guards. That was a good chance! She then rushed to it and gripped the thin rails of the metal gate. Her observant eyes were looking around as she thought of a way to get in.

Climb up the gate? Well, what other choice could she have? So she did. And it was hell. Her baby pink dress was torn at its edges as they get ripped from the sharp points of the gate. It was not that high, which helped her a bit. But as she got on top, ready to jump to the other side, a piece of her dress clung on the edge of the metal and she landed on her stomach. A rather huge part of cloth from behind was ripped. Hanari whined at the impact. It hurt a lot. But at least, she managed to get inside. And it was all thanks to their once maid. Now she thought of her as a good friend: Rima.

She honestly didn't know how the orange-haired girl managed to open the locked door from inside the room. And she jumped with happiness at that moment. Now she was using her palm like a handstand to help herself up from the ground before quickly looking around to see if someone saw her. Strangely, there were no guards. She grinned widely. Her brunette hair had loosen, and few leaves were stuck onto it. Her smile soon faded when she noticed someone looking at her. She squeaked and flailed her arms side to side, as though silently saying it wasn't what the other person was thinking.

"Who may you be?" It was a voice of a young man.

"Uhm, I-I... I-" she stuttered in panic and embarrassment. It was so dark! She hoped she could see something.

"Wait, your arm is wounded."

It was then that Hanari felt a sudden ache at her right arm and quickly looked at it. There was a long cut, and blood started dripping down. She gaped her mouth open and crouched as she shook her head.

"It hurts!" What a late reaction...

The young man chuckled and went near her to crouch as he held her left wrist and pulled her to stand up with him. Hanari looked up at him, then suddenly her heart did a back flip once again. It was the same feeling as to when she saw the messenger at their palace, back then. And fortunately, he really was that messenger! His dark brown hair was a little bit spiky, and it held its own uniqueness as bangs parted from his forehead to the side of his face.

"P-prince..." Hanari called without realizing.

The young man gazed at her for a moment. _Pri__nce?_ He began wondering what she meant but didn't speak about it, instead he pat her shoulder and dragged her to a small hut, which Hanari supposed was his. Inside, he tended to her wounds. She couldn't really ask for more... Deep inside, she was thanking Rima whole-heartedly.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

It was painfully dark, but to her amusement, she could see clearly. _Must be a vampire nature. How convenient._ Rima didn't notice that she was actually dashing towards the castle as fast as she could. It was quite far... She and Hanari already parted ways, considering the brunette girl targeted the back of the castle. And it was a really huge land.

Rima went directly in front. She was wearing her maid dress. It was a bit messed up but still, presentable. For a maid, that is. Her orange hair was tied in usual two ponytails on the side of her head by two black ribbons. She was so sure she'd be an object of attention once she entered there... and she couldn't help but feel uneasy. How would she go in anyway?

* * *

**To RandomReviewer** as u are an anonymous reviewer, I'll reply to u here!

YES! XD I know, I've thrown a LOT of random things and situations here but I wanted a HUGE twist in Cinderella and... those weird thoughts of rainbow cat, evil stepsister being afraid of ghosts were the ones that popped out in my head... ^^" and YES. Rima's parents are dead(i just didn't mention about her mother). Her father disappeared and later, Rima was delivered a message that he died. And oh HAHAHA Ur reviews made me laugh and hyped up XD YEAH HE'S A RUDE PRINCE but yeah out of instincts. :] Again, YES. I made Hanari's character as a... hm, evil-but-not-that-bad one, she has a soft spot on her. And well... she just HAD to fall in love with someone else. Lol I personally freaked out at... Nanami and... Nanri. o.o THANK U for ur review! :]

And that's all. x]

Have good days and good nights everyone! :D

~Terru


	12. Chapter 12: Rebellious

A/N: Hello! Omg T_T sorry! My fastest update is within a week lately because of part-time job... My editor did her best to edit this chapter :] THANKS TO NICHA!^^ I hope u all enjoy! Anyone is welcome to leave a review! :D And THANK U SO MUCH EVERYONE FOR EVERYTHING! I got 59 reviews T^T and that's WOW to me already! **U ALL ARE VERY, VEEERY AWESOME**!

Special thanks to the reviewers(I'll answer the anonymous reviewers' reviews at the end):

**ooamekiko**, **TouyaRima24**, **BlackNeonAngel**, **Idontownafanfiction**(dot)**netaccount**, **heartcrossedkey**, **pockylover**, **RandomReviewer**,** ScribblerOfDreams and FullMoon**, **Agapanthus**, **0Wishful-Thoughts0**, **(**no name**)**, **Little Red Riding Hood**, **vkfreako**, **ilikefudgecookiesyesido**

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own this anime/manga. All credits belong to Hino Matsuri-sensei. The weird idea of Cinderella that popped out in my head is the only thing I own here. :] Oh. Cinderella is NOT mine too..

_

* * *

It was painfully dark, but to her amusement, she could see clearly._ Must be a vampire nature. How convenient. _Rima didn't notice that she was actually dashing towards the castle as fast as she could. It was quite far... She and Hanari had already parted ways. The brunette girl targeted the back of the castle. And it was a really huge place._

_Rima went directly in front. She was wearing her maid dress. It was a bit messed up but still, presentable. For a maid, that is. Her orange hair was tied in usual two ponytails on the side of her head by two black ribbons. She was so sure she'd be an object of attention once she entered there... and she couldn't help but feel uneasy. How would she go in anyway?_

Chapter 12:

The rebellious prince

The red maroon-haired prince was caught up with overflowing emotions within him. He wanted to yell, he wanted to let out all the suppressed feelings he'd been bottling up, he wanted to run away from all the judging eyes that bestowed upon him. But this was probably the first time he felt so... so _alive_. He wasn't the kid who'd do whatever his mother tells him to, he wasn't the kid who'd stay silent in response to what his mother wanted him to, he wasn't the kid who'd be ignorant to everything. This time, he'd free himself from the cage that for so long now had been locking him. He'd taste the adventurous life, nothing dull, nothing dreadful, and nothing can stop him anymore.

Shiki bowed to all the people around them, and made his way to the huge exit door of the palace.

"Where do you think you're going Senri?"

The voice of his mother echoed throughout the palace. It was fierce and threatening, but nonetheless he continued to walk without stopping or even turning his head back to her.

"Stop right there!"

Shiki doubled his pace but before he realized it, his mother had already called their guards to make them stop him. Soon, he saw a few guards entering the palace, and he heard steps from behind. Aside from those sounds, the commotion of the crowds filled his head and it started to ache. Then some of the guards moved closer to him and grabbed his arms.

"...Let me go," Shiki commanded.

"We're very sorry, young master."

Shiki struggled, using his right leg to swiftly swing it behind one of the guard's leg and trip him, making him land on the floor on his back. Then as soon as one of his arms came free, he used it to punch the other guard's stomach. Yet, they didn't hit him... And although he felt bad for doing that to them, he would go. He wouldn't stay there. He really hoped his mother would open her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Shiki rushed towards the exit door but more guards blocked his way. They increased, sorrow and frustration written on their faces but still they did what they were told. Meanwhile, Shiki had his own saddened expression. It was still an apathy look. Though if it wasn't someone who knew him very well, they wouldn't notice.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Rima traced the metal rails of the gate. How could she go inside? Oh, she was a vampire, so surely she could fly? No, wait. Vampires don't fly. _Or do they?_ Rima then looked at the wall connected by the gate. Maybe she could just jump over. It was pitch dark but she could see how wide the palace was. She didn't even know if she would be able to know where Shiki was. Lots of trees were planted inside, and the way seemed suspicious to her. Although she expected some guards to appear, there wasn't even one. Strange.

"Now, might as well try jumping over this stupid wall."

Ugh. Honestly, why did she have to go through all of this for _him_? Rima shook her head. She then stepped meters away from the gate and readied herself to jump over. She could feel excitement in her nerves. Then she ran towards it, few steps before bending her knee as low as she could and lifted herself up. Surprisingly, she was able to leap high that she was now floating on air just above the wall. Using her palms to push herself from the surface above it, she threw herself inside, landing on her feet flawlessly.

Wow. Rima blinked a few times and was actually amazed at what she just did. That was one good feeling, certainly. Now, to find Shiki. Rima looked around and saw some carriages at corners here and there. She began walking towards a dim street that she supposed was a way to the palace.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Nanami's jaw dropped. It was her perfect chance but her prince Senri Shiki had to cause trouble and reject her. She felt humiliation as a red color started to spread across her face. Nanri heaved a sigh. And she thought nothing could go wrong anymore. Feeling devastated, she could only put her right hand on her forehead to ease some throbbing veins on it.

Shiki only hit the guards' stomachs lightly, knowing that his strength was already double-or triple- a human's strength. After reducing the number of guards, Shiki felt his stomach churning. He didn't want this. He didn't like what was happening.

"Mother! Please, at least this time, let me do what I want!" Shiki yelled without turning his head to them.

"I wish to be with a girl I care for and not with whom I cannot like. Rima is the only girl whom I'll be with!"

_Rima? _So the prince fell in love with her maid? What the hell? Nanri couldn't tolerate this.

"Please wait, Prince Senri!"

Everyone turned their heads to her as she spoke loud enough to make the prince turn his attention to her.

"Pardon me for saying this, but you know nothing about my dear stepdaughter Rima."

"...Of course I do. I do know."

Nanri raised her eyebrows. Hah!

"Well? You can't be with her! As she happened to be a disgusting and scary creature! She is a vampire, prince Senri Shiki."

Now everyone gasped louder than before. Some started to shake and some quirked their brows with interest. Shiki's mother raised one eyebrow. What did that woman say about them? Disgusting and scary creature? A vein threatened to pop out in her temple as blood boiled in her head. They weren't scary! Much less disgusting! How dare she! Shiki's mother tried to calm herself down as she remembered that no one in there knew about their real identities.

_Hah! Now Prince Senri, do you still love he-_

"I already know about that."

"What?"

Nanri stared at him in disbelief. _The prince knows? And yet... Yet, he still loves her? But!_ Then suddenly, as a cold wind blew against her skin, a very far, distant memory and a feeling crossed her mind. A feeling she once felt for a person. No. A vampire. That was right. Nanri thought at first that she was after his money only. But... Later did she realize that she actually fell in love with him. Was this feeling the same as what the prince had for Rima? Was this it? Nanri gritted her teeth. She used the girl to blame. She blamed her that he had to leave. She blamed her that he had to die. She hated her. And that was why she treated her as nothing more than a poor maid. She pushed all the bad feelings for the orange-haired girl when it wasn't even her fault. Nanri used Rima as a container for her angers.

Nanri glared at Shiki which made him widen his eyes slightly. That was the only thing she could do at the moment. Anyway, Rima was locked up in her house so the prince wouldn't be able to see her tonight. Nanri then closed her eyes and smirked. She gave up. But she was mad at him for making her realize that she was the wrong one all this time. That she was at fault. It was as though she was looking at a mirror that reflected all her ill sides. Shiki was pure. He would be a, no doubt, excellent King.

And as if understanding Nanri's glare just a few seconds ago, Shiki swiftly dashed outside the palace, ignoring the other guards who ran to catch up with him. Shiki's mother was disappointed. Why was her perfection damaged? What did she do wrong? What did she lack of?

From afar, Miss Takashi quietly watched the happenings. She saw how the crowds exclaimed in confusion and interest. She saw how her young master finally fought his fate. She saw how the Queen... Her Queen's expression saddened despite the anger she was probably feeling. It drove her crazy to see her beloved ones like that. She knew about their identities but she was never afraid of them. She knew the Queen was only trapped in her past. And it was time for her to make the poor woman realize.

Miss Takashi began to walk towards the Queen who stood still in the middle of stairs. Stopping upstairs, she looked down at her, who seemed to notice her. Shiki's mother had a torn expression on her face, and it broke Miss Takashi's thoughtful heart. Then she waved her hand, indicating for the Queen to come to her. As if a kid, she obeyed and when she stood beside her, Miss Takashi placed both her hands on her shoulder.

"Isn't it time to forget your regrettable past, Misen?"

Miss Takashi called her name without any honorifics before smiling at her. Soon, she broke into sobs and laid her forehead on the older woman's shoulder. With this, Miss Takashi rubbed Misen's back, comforting her. She had completed another goal.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

She was walking for about five minutes now and she still couldn't figure out where the entrance was. She could smell a faint scent of a vampire though. And she knew it was Shiki's. Maybe he was close by. She just had to be a bit more patient. Seeing that there were no guards, Rima let her guard off for a while. Which, was a bad idea.

Suddenly, someone tapped on her shoulder. When she turned her head quickly to see who it was, she saw two guards glaring suspiciously at her. The guard who tapped at her grabbed her arm and started dragging her to the gate from where she previously came from. _Ugh. Stupid guards!_ Her effort would have been in vain so she had to fight. Lifting her free hand, Rima swiftly land a hit on the man's hand. It might have contained some bolt as he yelped in pain. Taking this chance, Rima ran away from them and back to the spot from where she was dragged. She could smell his scent more clearly now which only meant Shiki was very close.

Rima continued to run further into the long dark path. She couldn't feel the guards following her so she briefly sighed with relief. After running for a moment, a familiar figure appeared from the other end of the long street. Rima's heart beat skipped up. It was annoying but she felt comforted at the same time. _What?_

On the other end, Shiki panted as he thought of Rima. _She's in her stepmother's house... but what kept her_... he blinked a few times when he caught a sight of the petite girl that his eyes were dying to see. He immediately let his eyes scan her form. _Rima_. _She came, finally_... There she was, the orange-haired girl who caught his fleeting heart in her hands, standing and looking back at him. His heart beat jumped in an excited manner.

"Rima!" Shiki called. He didn't move from where he was, and Rima was also fixed on the spot. They were meters away, seeming small like ants from each other's point of view. But why was it that they felt like they were so close? They were at great distance apart and _yet_, they were so close.

Rima's lips tugged upwards a little bit, unnoticeable. _Shiki_.

Then from their spot, they began to step towards each other in their normal pace. In their own little world. They stepped closer until they were only a meter away from each other. Shiki looked at Rima longingly but he didn't move. Rima only looked at him as well. _The tuxedo looked gorgeous on the idiotic prince_, she had to admit. She then folded her arms across her chest.

"Well Shiki? I came... As I said." _Good to see you again_.

"Yeah. Rima..." Shiki's facial expression softened to that of a little child and he stepped closer to reach out his hand to her cheeks, brushing the back of his hand against her skin. The petite girl raised an eyebrow before sighing contentedly.

"What now? Your guards don't want me here."

Shiki chuckled and held her right hand gently before planting a kiss on the palm.

"I want you here. Isn't that enough?"

Rima rolled her eyes but the blush that slowly crept up her cheeks was uncontrollable.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

"I'm sorry... Takashi. I don't know now... I only, I only wanted Senri to... to have a... peaceful and... perfect life. Unlike mine..." Shiki's mother said between her sobs.

"You do realize that what you gave him is neither a peaceful nor perfect life now, don't you?" Miss Takashi was right. Misen couldn't accept the truth… but she couldn't do anything anymore. Her son chose his... own path.

Everybody who was there either was in daze or talking and whispering to each other. They were, apparently, talking about the Prince Senri and his behaviors. Also about their Queen. What had just happened? They couldn't catch up with the events. Did they come here for nothing? Most of the maidens were depressed when they heard that their ideal prince already had a girl for him. But they accepted it. Their honorable parents were in confusion too.

The guards who were defeated by Shiki regained their composure and prepared to run after the prince. But some of the maids who were under the head maid's instructions stopped them. At first they seemed reluctant but they managed to calm down.

"Where did the prince go? To his girl?"

"What will happen now?"

"Is the party going to continue?"

"But... the girl's a vampire!"

Those were some of the murmurs that left the guests' mouths. They were preparing to leave as they thought it was the best for them but then from the door, the prince made his appearance again. Beside him was a petite orange-haired girl, who... was wearing a maid dress. The people gasped again for the umpteenth time, obviously surprised. They had only one thought on their minds: she can't be...?

"Everyone, I call for your attention. Please listen to me. I apologize deeply for what happened a while ago... But, this girl beside me, is the girl I was talking about earlier. Rima Touya."

_What was he talking about me with these people?_ Rima found herself glaring at Shiki while the place became filled with louder whispers and murmurs. She heard a few statements coming from some of the older people.

_Touya? Where have I heard that surname again..?_

_She's a Touya?_

Rima was quirking an eyebrow. _What are they talking about? Do they know anything about my residence?_ She was confused. Very. But she'd shrugged it. She then tugged on Shiki's sleeves and tilted her head to him.

"Shiki. What are we doing here?"

"We're going to dance."

"What?"

"Dance."

"No."

Shiki looked at her pleadingly. Rima turned to look away. She hated that... sweet look on his face.

On the far corner, Nanri saw Rima. _Wasn't she locked? That's impossible!_ She had used a durable lock specially created for storage rooms. But if Rima was out then that only meant her other daughter, Hanari was out too. Perhaps, it was time for them to go home.

"Everyone, the party is going to continue. Please let us forget what happened and enjoy this evening." Shiki smiled slightly, but an apparently genuine one as he pulled Rima by her hand. Little did Shiki know, that genuine smile he never gave anyone was enough to tug everyone's heartstrings. When they noticed this, they just couldn't help but return smiles to him. They resumed with their conversations while some helped themselves with the wines and delicacies served on the tables. The guards exited as the maids convinced them to. Miss Takashi looked at the young couple – Senri Shiki and Miss Rima – as an old wrinkling smile grazed upon her face.

Shiki saw his mother sobbing on their head maid's shoulder and he felt his heart clench itself as it sunk down. He felt really bad... but he wouldn't let her take control over his life now. He led Rima upstairs wherein he asked Miss Takashi to prepare Rima for the party. She happily obeyed and pat Shiki's mother – Misen's – back once more before leaving her to her son. She made Rima follow her, while Rima hesitantly nodded after looking at Shiki's mother. After the two disappeared into one of the chambers, Shiki stood silent, not tearing his gaze away from Misen. She quickly noticed this and her blue eyes – which were the same colour as Senri's – took a glance at her son.

She wiped her tears away and lifted her chin up. Not losing the confidence she gained over years of being weak after Senri's father died and left them, she looked at him unwaveringly. They spoke through eye contact, with no words to speak. With no arguments to throw at each other. It was a peaceful gesture that both had simply learned through the head maid, who was like a mother to Misen and a grandmother to Shiki.

Few while had passed. Misen broke their gaze and turned to look away. She began to walk away to her destination: her room. Shiki thought she was mad... But she finally spoke, without looking back at him.

"You've grown up, Senri. You're not the little kid who'd always follow what I say anymore. What am I supposed to do with a useless puppet like you? Remember, you're supposed to... regret this." Misen meant the opposite. She just couldn't bring herself to say it. Fortunately, her son knew her well and what she meant.

He blinked a few times then bowed his head lightly, showing respect to his mother.

"I won't regret this, mother."

With that, Misen walked off. Shiki didn't lift his head until his mother's footsteps vanished. So many things have happened... But at last, he had grasped the freedom with his very own hands.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Rima was dragged by the head maid to a big room, light violet was the theme and it had a fragrance that made her dizzy. The old woman told her to wait and then she disappeared into another room inside the huge room. Rima nodded and was now standing still beside the window. _It's nearing midnight, _she supposed. Feeling her confusion enhanced by the calm darkness outside, she didn't notice the maid approaching. And now she was pulling her by the arms.

"Wait, wait Miss... Miss Taka...pi," Rima stammered feeling a bit weird at the name. Maybe, wrong?

She heard the head maid chortled.

"It's Takashi, little lady."

_Oh_. _I've got to remember that_.

Rima was taken aback when she was dragged into a rather large bathroom. The tiles were lavender colored, and the huge bath tub actually had petals of red roses? And the smell was... relaxing, so good.

Her blue eyes dazed off. She would take a bath there? Before she could protest in embarrassment, Miss Takapi... Ahem. Miss Takashi led her further in and taught her how to operate the shower, along with everything else. God was it so complicated. Just a normal bathroom would have been good enough. Little did she know that the bathroom she was in now was the most normal one they had in that palace.

Miss Takashi waited for the orange-haired girl in the living area of the room. She held the towel and bathrobe then laid the dress that her young master had prepared for the girl on a sofa nearby.

When the shower's sounds ceased, Miss Takashi went to the bathroom door and knocked. Rima instantly responded by informing her that she was finished. Giving her the towel and bathrobe, Miss Takashi took the dress in her hands. Rima soon came out with her hair damp wet.

"I don't want to dance."

"Oh come on Miss Rima, you'll enjoy it for sure!"

"Call me Rima." Rima smiled ever so slightly at the head maid.

Then Miss Takashi began to fix her hair, dress, shoes, style... basically, her. The old woman was clearly having fun.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

He thought that it would be good to talk with Rima's stepmother and make things clear. However, when he was looking for them, no sign was found anywhere. He assumed they had already left... Shiki, keeping his impassive look, glanced around at their guests. They didn't seem to be scared anymore at hearing that the girl he loved was a vampire. Why? He seriously didn't know. They should have been shaken or escaped out of the palace, right? As considered by the humans, vampires were frightening creatures because they suck blood and feed on them. So then... why?

Shiki shrugged as he put both his hands inside his trousers' pockets. Walking around at the tables and occasionally starting conversations with everyone there, he still couldn't figure out why they were so calm and collected.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

The curly yellow haired girl was frowning at her mother. Lots of reasons to be; she had let the prince to be with Rima! Then she never told her about the maid's identity... She was a, what? Vampire? _That's... scary!_ Nanami felt her back shiver from the thought and this didn't go unnoticed by Nanri.

The older woman only rolled her eyes when Nanami asked her about their vampire maid. She didn't intend to tell her daughters about it but it slipped out, so nothing could be done. Although Nanami was the only one to know, it was still such a bad luck. Nanami was more persistent than her other daughter, Hanari. Nanri then lowered her gaze. Maybe she was a bit harsh at her brunette-haired daughter. She'd go... and apologize later.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Shiki was waiting for so long now. _Why do they take that long? _He couldn't help but feel nervous too. What if Rima didn't like the dress he prepared for her? What if she really didn't want to dance with him? Was he being selfish?

The red-maroon haired prince sighed. He was just thinking too much.

After a few moments, finally, the sight of the orange-haired girl appeared at the top of the stairs, looking away. Beside her was Miss Takashi. Shiki's eyes flew open as he stared at the petite figure. The dress fitted her perfectly, hugging all the curves she had. He didn't expect her to be so beautiful. Everyone else in the palace gazed at her too. The blue tube dress that was knee-length was a contrast to her pale skin. On top of it was a shorter black dress that only had straps connected and tied on the back of her neck. _Blue and black was such a good combination_, Shiki thought, including the human guests who looked at her.

As soon as Rima felt everyone's gaze on her, she felt her heart banging inside her chest. If she could run away, she would but she didn't want to let the kind maid Miss Takapi... Rima shook her head. She couldn't let Miss Takashi's effort go to waste. And to embarrass Shiki, of course, herself too. She should be more confident. Planting this on her mind, she turned her head to look at Miss Takashi and smiled. Then she began stepping downstairs. Her boots with medium heels didn't feel right but surprisingly, she didn't had a hard time walking on it.

_I feel like tonight's going to be a long one_...

* * *

This is the longest chapter now! x]

Ok, on to my replies to the anonymous reviewers:

**To RandomReviewer**:

U... counted it? XD 139-paragraph? OH u really counted it! OMG u're awesome XD AHAHA XD ur review made me smile widely! YES Hanari's ...stupid. Lol :] I'm sorry btw for updating this late. I hope u enjoyed it^^ and yes! But oh, sometimes, I don't notice my wounds o.o I just see like... there's suddenly a wound on my hand then i'd be like: O.O Wha? But yeah! No one needs to tell me SO HANARI'S STUPID! XD I made her Stupid...Sorry Hanari! o (BTW THANK U! :])

Hanari: I hate u!

Me: WTH i'm gonna kill u in my story if u hate me! DX

Hanari: NOOO! SORRY I HATE ME! I was mistaken!

Me: Good. Ahem.

mwahaha :] XD (sorry for the rant...)

**To ****(**no name**)**:

U didn't have name! I was thinking how u did that? o btw what's prd? I'm sorry I lack of comprehension sometimes... Especially abbreviations =/ And THANK U! :]

**To Little Red Riding Hood**:

Hahaha XD I Like Miss Takashi too! :] in my OC(Original Character)s, she's one of my fav. :] Thank U So Much for reviewing! :]

**To Idontownafanfiction**(dot)**netaccount**:

OMG I laughed when u said that u're tired of writing: I don't own a fanfiction(dot)net account XD U don't have to write that :D Ehehe XD TOOTH FAIRY? OMFG I'm laughing hard XD I did laugh when I read ur review! And now I'm replying to u, I'm laughing again xD THANKS SO MUCH! Did this become too unrelated to Cinderella? If so, I'm very sorry! T^T I thought hope that it still entertains u and the readers :D Thank u again! :]

**To ilikefudgecookiesyesido**:

I Like Fudge Cookies TOO! OMG :D Fudge cookies FTW YEY! Thanks so much for review :] And thank u a lot! yey! I'm very happy to hear that :D I'm sorry for updating late T.T

AND YEY! **THANKS TO ALL OF U** :D **I seriously**... **LOVE U ALL**!

Have Good Days And Good Nights everyone!

~Terru


	13. Chapter 13: Suspicious

**Author's Note:** Everyone, fellow friends, I'm very sorry for updating SO late. I know, asking for ur forgiveness doesn't justify T-T but...but. v_v Really. I'm sorry... And oh! there are 2 more chapters left(I think.) I hope I wouldn't disappoint anyone . But still, lemme know honest opinions :] And I'll accept it fully. Thanks so much to everyone who sticked to this story! And even to those who have read this, favorited, reviewed, added to their story alert, and added me as fav author. May all of u have great days and good nights.

Special Thanks to these fellow who reviewed:

**ooamekiko, TouyaRima24, BlackNeonAngel, Idontownafanfiction(**dot**)netaccount, heartcrossedkey, pockylover, RandomReviewer, ScribblerOfDreams and FullMoon, Agapanthus, 0Wishful-Thoughts0, (**no name**), Little Red Riding Hood, vkfreako, ilikefudgecookiesyesido, MKmusic, babyviolin, GenuineSparklez, xxAlmightyKanamexx, Zero95, Poseidon's-Princess, wildflower787, Somewho**

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_As soon as Rima felt everyone's gaze on her, she felt her heart banging inside her chest. If she could run away, she would but she didn't want to let the kind maid Miss Takapi... Rima shook her head. She couldn't let Miss Takashi's effort go to waste. And to embarrass Shiki, and, of course, herself too. She should be more confident. Planting this on her mind, she turned her head to look at Miss Takashi and smiled. Then she began stepping downstairs. Her boots with medium heels didn't feel right but surprisingly, she didn't have a hard time walking on it._

I feel like tonight's going to be a long one...

Chapter 13:

Prince's suspicious change in mood

The orange-haired girl stood in front of the red maroon-haired prince, Senri Shiki. Looking up at him impassively, she waited for him to say something. Shiki, on the other hand, was too dazed to say something to her. He could only stare at her slender figure, his heart beat speeding up as though his heart was going to jump out of his chest. He suddenly wondered if Rima felt nervous too... Wait. So he was _nervous_?

_What is he spacing out for?_ Rima thought to herself. Feeling the awkwardness grow, the petite girl raised one eyebrow before speaking, "Shiki?"

It seemed to snap him out of his trance as he blinked few times at her, forgetting about the crowd that surrounded them and was now staring intently. Shiki was debating with himself. _Why should I be this nervous?_ ..._Idiot_... _What?_ ..._Uh_. After scanning her form once again, he held his right hand out to her. She gazed at him for a moment then took it, and they began to head to the dance floor. Waltz music started to flow through and reached everyone's ears. The gentlemen took either their wives or daughters to dance along with the prince and his... girl.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Nanri, together with her daughter, Nanami arrived at their house not so long ago. She had made the resolution to apologize to her other daughter, Hanari, so she told Nanami to go look for her instantly, but not without groaning before complying. Nanri then strode to their kitchen, feeling thirsty. She was so sure that Rima wouldn't come home to them anymore...

Anyway, she was probably better off without that brat. _That's right_. Opening their refrigerator, she took a pack of tomato juice. _Although, I have to hire another maid..._ a different maid. Irritating. Nanri snorted and poured the tomato juice to her glass. Filling it full, she began to drink, her thirst slowly fading away.

After few while, gulping the last drops of her tomato juice, she saw her daughter, Nanami, from the corner of her eyes, staring at her with wide eyes.

"What?" Nanri asked when she was finished with the glass of juice.

"M-mother, you..." Nanami stammered, pointing a finger at her mother.

"Do not point your finger at me, it's very rude Nanari! And what?"

"You're a... vampire!" Nanari's jaw dropped.

"Huh? I am not."

"But! But, you just drank the red... liquid!"

Nanri immediately rolled her eyes. How could her daughter be this stupid? Couldn't she see the pack of tomato juice on top of the table?

"That's a tomato juice," Nanri stoically replied.

Nanami's mouth formed a perfect 'o'. She let out a sigh of relief. Good thing she knew where her mother would be, after she lazily checked some nearby rooms, she couldn't find Hanari. Of course, she wasn't in the room that she and Rima were locked in just hours ago. Nanami put both her hands on her waist.

"Mother, Hanari isn't anywhere in our house."

Nanri raised an eyebrow at this.

"What? She's nowhere? Oh God, who would kidnap a kid like her!"

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

"Uh... won't your parents worry about you?" the dark brown-haired man asked the brunette girl leaning on his arm as they sat at a couch.

"No! And there's only my mother. She won't worry too."

"Oh, I'm sorry to mention it..."

Hanari looked at her prince messenger. He didn't have to apologize for anything, he was too cute. Hanari now had dreamy eyes as she gazed at him.

"Uh. Hey?" He looked back at her.

"Yes prince?" Hanari took his hands in her own grasps.

That startled the young man, but nevertheless, he spoke, "I don't think I know your name yet, miss, so-"

"Hanari! My name's Hanari! And what is yours?" Hanari felt excited and dumb at the same time. Not that she wasn't dumb already, she just felt even more dumb than usual. And that was because she didn't ask for his name! She was too busy staring at him all this while.

"Ah, Hanari's a nice name. Mine is Hayashirou."

_His name is Hayashirou... Hayashirou. Isn't his name so similar to mine? With 'Ha' as the first syllable! Oh my gosh, we're really destined to be!_

Hayashirou didn't have time to protest or to move aside; he could only feel heat rising up his cheeks as the brunette girl threw her arms around his waist. So, has her wound in her right arm healed that fast just by her love's healing treatment...

Hanari sure was one of a kind. Amongst the weirdest and dumbest ones, that is.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Rima was surprised at herself that she could go along with the dance better than she had expected. She never had a chance to do so, and still it was like she was born to be a good dancer. As the slow-paced music flowed throughout the palace while they were on the dancing floor, she kept her eyes at the level of his tie. It provided enough distraction to keep her from looking at him directly. Though, Shiki did keep his eyes at her face, memorizing every angle, including the expressions she made just at that moment. He smiled subconsciously, not realizing that most of their guests could see his genuine smile once again.

But he was too entranced by observing her every reactions: how she would knit her brows as if thinking of something at the back of her mind, how she'd glance up at him for a second then would look away as soon as she met his eyes and how she would raise one of her brows when he would chortle at her failed attempts of not blushing... that because of this he didn't notice he stomped at her. She abruptly stopped moving, making him do the same.

"Oh, sorry," Shiki sincerely apologized.

Rima was glaring at him now and instead of forgiving, she did the same thing to him. She rubbed the top of his shoe with her boots, and now the crowd stopped dancing and looked at them amusingly. Some fangirls glared dagger eyes at Rima and really, _really_ wanted to pull her away from him. But they knew they couldn't...

"Rima, aren't you overdoing it?" Shiki asked but didn't move his feet, knowing that she wouldn't like it if he did.

Her response was to continue what she was doing, though it didn't take much longer for her to finally relax and stop acting childishly. Shiki still held her left hand in his right hand, and had his left hand placed on her right side of waist. Rima took a deep breath before looking around. She opened her mouth slightly as she saw the humans staring at both her and Shiki. They were looking at them the whole time! _Ugh_. _So embarrassing_...

She decided that she won't utter even a single word until the party finishes, and so Rima and Shiki began dancing again, this time at her lead. Still not saying anything to each other, they held their gazes at where they wanted to look at. Shiki, as expected, on her face, and Rima, at his tie. The human guests, who were looking at the two, chuckled and giggled. Well... excluding the fangirls of Shiki.

The vampire girl wasn't harmful and they could probably accept her for who she was. After all, they didn't know anyone else who could manage to make their prince react in the way he was acting now.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

After that unforgettable - although Rima wanted it to be forgettable - night ball party, five days had passed and the orange-haired girl stayed at Shiki's palace. And of course no, she wouldn't sleep... in the same room as him! She politely asked Miss Takashi - Rima hoped she said the head maid's name right this time - if she could be in a different room, be it a small or a dusty attic, anywhere that Shiki wouldn't be...

Rima wasn't rejecting him, but it was too much for her. Her heartbeat would just quicken its pace every time Shiki talks to her, looks at her, says her name or calls her... It was like that few days before too but it was getting worse! And it was getting really, really irritating. She was aware of how she felt for him, but...

Rima heaved a sigh as she sat on the edge of her bed in the room that the head maid suggested to her. Anyway, she remembered that she was told it was the simplest one and yet, she couldn't find herself believing it. Yes, it was one of the guests' room but... the bed was medium-sized, too spacious for her, with white creamy sheets... and the whole room was...apparently too big. Rima preferred a normal-sized room. But then... as she was told, the room she was in now was only normal to the palace.

Rolling her eyes, she decided that lying on the bed would help her sooth her mind. She closed her eyes and breathed in then out. She was about to try falling asleep when a knock on the door from outside caught her attention. Rima stared at the door before lazily went to see who it was. Although she already had idea...

"Shiki?"

"Rima. Yes, it's me."

Rima stood still. Shiki had been visiting her everyday and she was always embarrassed when the head maid had to tease them doing something that was likely out of question. _Anyway what does he want this time? _Feeling tired, she grabbed the knob and opened the door, revealing a messy red-headed vampire. She looked at him as he stared back at her. There was a pregnant silence before Rima had to groan in annoyance and yet, not really.

"What is it Shiki?" asked Rima as she stepped aside to let him enter the room. Stepping inside, Shiki went directly to a couch and sat there.

Shiki was silent. He wasn't saying anything, and Rima tilted her head to the side, frustrated as to why he was acting unusual. It may have only been five days after that incident at the ball party, but the orange-haired girl felt like it had been months since then. Time sure flies quickly, but strangely, when she felt like it had been forever, she felt like time was passing slowly instead.

Rima folded her arms across her chest and shifted her weight to the left side after she walked closer and stood in front of him. She was getting worried. Irritated, but worried still.

"Shiki, what's wrong?" the concern in her voice actually made Shiki jerk his head up to look at her. He smiled slightly and stood up.

"Nothing. See you later Rima."

"What? You just sat you know?"

As if he didn't hear her response, Shiki rushed towards the door, reaching out for the knob. But a gentle tug at his shirt stopped him in his tracks. When he turned his head to look behind him, he saw Rima looking at him with utmost concern, more than any that he had seen in her gem-blue eyes before. Then a bubble of confusion was held in his stomach, ready to burst itself and with this, he faced her fully before pulling her into a light hug. Which of course startled Rima, leaving her in a state of frustration. Though it also gave a warm feeling to her, she suddenly felt butterflies swarm within her.

"Shiki?" Rima raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, I just can't believe you're still here. Thank you..." Shiki closed his eyes and leaned his chin on top of her head.

_Oh. So he thought I'd try to escape? Why was he thinking like that?_ Rima sighed inwardly and placed both her hands on his back. She softly pat it as she muttered reassuring words to him.

"Shiki, I'm not... going anywhere."

"I just thought you might already be too annoyed that I visit you regularly..."

"Well, I am."

Shiki opened his eyes and pulled back to look at her, worried that he have been overdoing it so he thought, next time, he should be more considerate of her feelings or if she was any comfortable at all. But the next words he heard wasn't what he was expecting.

"But, you're an _idiot_ and you are _Senri_ Shiki, an _idiotic prince_ okay? What could I expect more?" Rima emphasized her nickname to him, and his first name... while grinning the slightest. Her attempt at teasing him couldn't possibly fail. Right?

It hit Shiki like a truck. "Yeah..." Aghast, Shiki was left to only mumble in response.

"Huh?" It was Rima's turn to stare at him as if he had just had the most natural reaction in the world when being told _stupid_. What happened to the planet? Rima snorted and waved her hands off. But she knew he visited her this time for a reason. There was a slight flash of anxiety and hope in his blue eyes, which was rarely there. So she'd dig into it. She was, after all, concerned about him.

So Rima asked him. But the respond she got wasn't what she wanted. Shiki merely brushed off her question and gave her a small smile. She sighed in defeat. Alright, if he wasn't going to tell her, she would ask the person she knew would know something, at least.

Shiki left her alone on the room after a few moments. Rima sat on the soft bed once again and she just noticed that the curtain blocking the window had light blue laces on the bottom edge which made it looked more elegant. She stared at it and wondered why she felt an uncomfortable sensation inside her stomach when she thought of the sun showering her its gentle warmth... then it struck her. Yeah, she almost forgot that she was a vampire now. Vampires were enemies with the overwhelming light that radiated from the Sun. Rima had to get used to it though, as she used to love the golden ball of fire that floated above the clouds.

She... was never friends with the fiery ball up above. Not before her father died. But she could remember one thing he had told her before he disappeared: sometimes, even an enemy can be your only friend. It was half-truth and half-lie. She found that out after time had let her grow up in loneliness, emptiness, and eventually, weakness: her enemy which she never befriended even now.

But then, she realized that he was right. After a series of storm that every now and then would visit their village, she discovered the significance of the Sun. It was that, even though it was always glowing angrily like throwing its invincible sticks of fire at people's skins, it would still give life. It gave her a new, meaningful life. A peaceful time where she'd only glance up and look up above to see birds chirping happily in the air across the sky.

This life that she thought was enough to make her calm down when she felt so dreaded disappeared in an instant. It was once her friend though. And she was more than happy to know that. Now, she was its enemy again. Or perhaps, no. She just happened to be a creature who was naturally born to live without the need of it. And it reminded her of her days with her beloved father back then.

Speaking of the Sun and her, being a vampire. She felt hunger take over her... She was thirsty for blood. As in, now.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Due to her prince's advices that she should go home to let her mother know she was fine, _at least_, Hanari now found herself standing in front of their palace-like house. She pouted but well, she supposed she missed the two: her mother and her elder sister also.

Although at first, the two were meanies to Rima.

...Alright, Hanari _too_ might have been a meanie to the orange-haired girl… but not anymore! So that didn't count. Inhaling deeply before exhaling, she brought her right hand up to knock on the door. After few knocks, she waited. And waited more. But no one responded.

"Where are they?" Hanari murmured to herself. Oh... now she thought of it, why did she have to knock? It was her house too! A small smile crept up her face as she grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. It was locked. Oh yeah, how the hell would it be open anyway? Surely it would be locked especially if they were out. And recently, she was getting herself convinced that she was... well, really stupid. And who'd call themselves stupid? Her. And _maybe_ some other people too. She hoped she wasn't the only one.

Hanari felt a little bit worried though. Perhaps, it was better that no one had opened the door for her. There were no guards too. She guessed they went on a vacation. Oh, dear Merlin, what month was it already anyway? July? June? She couldn't remember! One thing for sure, her mother would be very, very mad at her. Since she was gone for five days. Though she didn't have regrets. Those days were one of the happiest days for her. She'd only wait for Hayashirou to come back to the hut after his daily duties in the Prince Senri Shiki's palace. She had no experience in... cooking , so she'd better prepare breads instead. How silly of her! But despite that, he would just smile and thank her. He was so sweet!

Hanari giggled at the few events that occurred while she was out of her house. She covered her mouth with her left palm as she laughed. Then an image of someone with curly yellow hair popped out in her head. Oh her elder sister? _Nanami_... Oh God, she didn't even want to imagine how Nanami would react if she found out that Hanari stayed with the messenger during those days she was gone... _I don't want to see her for the meantime_!

"Hanari!" a familiar voice reached Hanari's ears and she snapped her head back to the door. Her eyes became as big as saucers.

"M-mother..." Hanari gulped, seeing the mad eyes that glared at her. "Hi?" _I take back what I said_... _Why does it have to be mother who'd show up and not Nanami? I am not prepared to face my mother! Not yet!_ Hanari whined as her mother quickly pulled her ears and dragged her inside the palace.

Only one thing was on her mind: when did her mother turn into a very scary creature?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Author's Note: We all know from whom Nanami got her stupidity right? Anyway... This note was typed in the OpenOffice Writer and not on the fanfiction site itself. And I have a reason why... T.T Unfortunately, there seemed to be a problem with my laptop that whenever I point the cursor to the Account, Publish, Inbox, Traffic, Alerts, Beta Reader and so on, they just wouldn't show the options. People who has account here knows this. For example, on Account, the: Avatar, Profile etc(i forgot the others), on Publish: Document Manager, New stories(forgot the others...) and etc. Also, when I go to anyone's profile, I can not vote, nothing happens. Even when I click the "hide bio" and when I go to the FanFiction Section with the Anime/Manga(etc), the alphabets won't show. Only "Sort by Popularity" and "Filter by name: All". Not to mention, nothing also happens when I click "Popularity". Please, Please IF someone knows/or encountered same problem as me, Please HELP ME! T^T Any hint or advice would do. T_T Right now, because it doesn't work, my editor Nicha will be the one to update.(THANKS NICHA!) And she's in Thailand. A shout to Thailand for her would be nice everyone! Thank u so much for taking time to read this.(the longest author's note I've ever written...probably.) Also I am aware...they're OOC here. =/ I really think it was so hard to keep them In Character. I'm trying my best though everyone. ^^

Now for the anonymous reviewers section!

**To ****Idowntownafanfiction(dot)net****account**:

First of all... I'm really, very sorry for updating late. v_v I hope everyone understands T^T Lots of things happened and there is this problem with my laptop that I've been trying to figure out a week ago... Please read my Author's Note above this reply T_T and Oh Thank u soo much for ur sweet review x] That made me smile, I always reread everyone's reviews. They inspire me even more :] Yeah, 2 more chapters left D: (or so I think...) Cookies! XD Hahaha we love cookies :D

**To ****Rando****mReviewer:**

Like above... First of all, I want to apologize for updating very late. v_v please read the longest author's note. Also, lots of things happened and it's summer vacation so part-time job's working hour had been extended by my boss D: Gah. And oh, Nanri and Misen knows each other? Hm... what part was that? I don't remember... Eek, one thing for sure, they don't know each other.(at least in my thought...) But did I make a mistake? If u still remember what part was that, would u mind telling me? So that I can give it a quick scan and edit if necessary :] Thank u so much! And yeah, nothing's bad about it! XD I was just amused that u counted it :D hahaha and here I am, updating so late, u probably got bored of this fic already T^T I'm very sorry for that, really. I'd understand if u dropped this.

To wildflower787:

Mom. Thanks so much! x] U already know how much I thank u. :]

Anyway... There u go, I hope it wasn't so bad :[ I'll do my best to have a good ending in this. :] Thanks everyone who reads and have read this!

~Terru


	14. Chapter 14: Understanding

A/N: Hello everyone... First of all... I sincerely apologize for not updating for two years! *bows low*

Second... I want to say that the next chapter will be the last chapter. I will update tomorrow, I finished the last chapter, just had to edit it... Thank you so much to everyone who supported this fanfic! I was truly happy about it.

By the way, please tell me if you notice some errors. I had to reread the whole story from chapter 1 up to chapter 13 but I might have missed some things... Thank you!

* * *

Shiki and Rima

- For those who questions why Shiki knows her name when Rima didn't introduce herself, this is the answer: While they were sneaking into the lioness palace's kitchen back in chapter 3&4, Rima told Shiki her name in just a quick manner cause she doesn't want to be called "maid". I just didn't put it in.

- In chapter 5, No, Rima wasn't jealous. She wasn't really pouting either. With her lips pursed tightly, that was just how she is at times and Shiki misunderstood this.

- In chapter 9, Although it was written there that Hanari sure fell in love with a different person too fast, it was not exactly like that. Why? Well... she wasn't in love with Shiki. She was actually more aware than Nanami, that Shiki doesn't like either of them. She was just dreamy. But with the messenger...let's say it was love at first sight.

- Oh yes, I almost forgot. Shiki knows she's a maid right? But then, the old woman was calling Rima her stepdaughter...so why no reaction from Shiki? Actually, this was a mistake in my part. I forgot to put something about it. But let's just imagine that behind the scene, they talked about it. Sorry about that...

- Ah, in chapter 13...I mistyped Nanami's name! What nanari, oh stupid me. I'm so sorry about that...

In my mind, Shiki is still older than Rima about a year:

~~~~~Senri Shiki: November 5~~~~~made up

~~~~~Rima Touya: August 16~~~~~made up

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Chapter 14:

Understanding each other

"Hanari!" a familiar voice reached Hanari's ears and she snapped her head back to the door. Her eyes became as big as saucers.

"M-mother..." Hanari gulped, seeing the mad eyes that glared at her. "Hi?" I take back what I said... Why does it have to be mother who'd show up and not Nanami? I am not prepared to face my mother! Not yet! Hanari whined as her mother quickly pulled her ears and dragged her inside the palace.

Only one thing was on her mind: when did her mother turn into a very scary creature?

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

_Should I go to him? Should I not? No, yes, no... Yes? No. _

Rima stood in front of the door, with her right hand on the knob. Her, gripping it with much force, made it look like she was going to crash it into pieces. She was craving for blood at the moment and she could easily go to Shiki and ask him for it, but the remaining self-control from her old self wouldn't let her just do that. She already had a taste of the sweet blood, and indeed it was pretty intoxicating. However, she didn't want to be just _that_. She had lived as a human after her father died, until the day Shiki bit her, making her remember what she really was. So, there was no way that she could accept the truth just like that... She was a vampire in nature but a human at heart and at mind. Taking advantage of the situation to get the blood her vampire self was craving for so bad... It really sounded bitter.

Okay, maybe she took advantage of the times when her stepsisters and stepmother were away, just so she could get those sparkling pockies from the food counter in the kitchen of the palace she once lived at. But hey, that was a totally different thing, right?

...

...

_Right_. Rima quickly changed her mind. It wasn't like she would really be taking advantage of the idiot prince. She just simply wanted the damn blood, it was their food. Sighing, Rima finally opened the door and stepped outside. Few seconds passed, she found herself stepping inside the room again. Did she see that right?

...

...

...

"I finally found you, rainbow cat!"

"nyeowww!"

...

And so began the game hide and seek between the orange-haired girl and the rainbow cat, with Rima forgetting about her hunger for a moment.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

"So, where have you been up til now? What on Earth made you think that I don't care about you? You are my daughter so of course I do! And you, not coming home for days... What an ungrateful brat! I'm so mad that I feel my head is going to explode right now." Nanri massaged her right temple, attempting to ease the headache. Oh headaches.

"I... I, I... I'm so sorry mother! Please listen to me, you see... uhm, I've been staying at this small hut, where... uh, I... I've been studying-"

"Studying?"

"Yes, my prin... No no no, I mean my teacher was gorgeous... -"

"What?"

Nanri pulled Hanari's ear for the second time.

"You... Don't tell me you stayed in a guy's house?"

Hanari's face turned red like a tomato as she nodded once...twice, wait, wait! She immediately shook her head left and right in a quick manner, trying to correct her visible mistake just a few seconds ago. But of course, that was too late. She shut her eyes tightly before hearing the words of her soon-going-to-be-nightmare experience.

"Nanami! Take this little brat to the disciplinary room and call our disciplinary adviser right now! Tell her to come right away!"

"M-mother! But, but I didn't do anything wron-"

"Shut that mouth of yours, Hanari!"

Sweat began to drop from Hanari's forehead. Her mother got angrier than she expected she would be... Did she care for her that much? She couldn't remember any moments where her mother spoke to her gently, she couldn't remember any times when her mother actually cared for what she did or achieved. All she remembered was her mother scowling at her whenever she made mistakes or stupid things... No appreciation at all... Nanri couldn't possibly understand her all that much... So why?

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

This rainbow cat sure was fast. By the time Rima finally cornered it, she was running out of breathe. Who could imagine what she'd gone through? She almost fell off climbing numerous stairs, she hit her head onto the floor when she tumbled over after jumping down more numerous stairs... Then she tripped while running into the stairs...

So she had this countless unlucky moments when stairs were involved. And why the heck was that? She had no idea!

"Ugh, bad cat ...with its cursed stairs!"

Rima glared at the rainbow cat as if there was fire flaring in both her eyes. Then wasting no time, she jumped to grab it. Purring angrily, the cat struggled inside her arms. At last! It was her victory! But her victorious moment could have lasted more had no one disturbed.

"Rima?"

However, why did it have to be _him_ of all the living things inside the huge castle? It didn't take long before her forgotten craving for the blood crept back up, alluring her vampire self to take over her. The orange-haired girl turned to her side to take a look at the man who disturbed her and the cat's winner and looser moment. Rima had her usual poker face on as she turned her whole body to face Shiki.

"Shima, I've been looking for you. Thank you Rima― ?!"

Shiki almost stumbled backwards. It took him a few while to understand what just happened. Alright... It was dark so sudden and his head felt like there was something clinging desperately on it, then a familiar soft fur tickled his face.

Huh?

"Uh... What did I do?"

Rima just stood there like a statue staring at Shiki with the rainbow cat hugging his face. She threw the cat onto his face, those two fit each other after all. A rude idiotic prince and his rude bad rainbow cat. Yep, perfect. But it was not the time to feel superior about such thing. She was on the verge of jumping on Shiki herself. She wanted the blood. His blood. Oh what a painful way to put it... It was making it sound like she was some perverted blood maniac girl... Which was in no way, true. She was new to this strange instinct vampires seemed to have and she could barely control it yet.

Rima closed her eyes.

Now it was Shiki's turn to regain his sight after putting his cat away from his face. Letting go of it, the rainbow cat quickly ran off to somewhere. He looked at Rima who seemed troubled... Did he do something wrong?

"Rima? Is something wrong?"

"...No. Nothing."

He walked closer to her and was about to tap her shoulder when the girl looked up on him, her gem blue eyes turning crimson... Ahh... He got it now.

"..."

Shiki put his right hand in front of her face, in which she raised an eyebrow.

"You're hungry. You can't hide that from me... Not when your eyes turned into the color of blood itself."

Rima gulped. Her throat felt too dry to say anything, and her eyes could just focus on his hand only... Was it like this when she first tried accepting his blood as her food? It was as though this was the first time... An uncontrollable shaking of her hands made it clear that she'd been controlling the bloodlust for a while now. Her growing impatience of taking his blood right away made her shiver and afraid of herself. What if she lose to her instincts and become a vampire who only seek for the damn red substance?

Before she realized it, she had taken his hand already... the taste of blood spreading inside her mouth. Her heart did a nervous flip and her stomach churned but she found one part of herself in delight as she devoured on the man's blood.

She was too absorbed on her thoughts that she didn't notice she had been gripping Shiki's wrists tighter. Her nervousness displayed itself in the form of rugged breathes and sweat dropping. She was drowning in his blood... This sweet blood... But she wanted to stop. She drank enough blood right? Why did she keep on sucking? No, no more than this... Or else, she wouldn't know how to stop -

"Rima."

Shiki's free hand touched her cheek. The petite girl opened her eyes widely and automatically, she stopped what she was doing. Her eyes that were back to gem blue ones stared right into Shiki's icy blue ones. He was looking at her with such soft expression. His eyes showed the hint of concern as he caressed her cheek with his thumb.

_Shiki_...

"You look as if you didn't want to drink my blood."

"?! Shiki... I... No. It's not like that... I'm just... I just don't want to lose myself to these vampire instincts..."

"I see... But you won't, Rima."

Rima blinked once, confused as to how he could be too sure about the matter-

"Not as long as I'm the one giving you blood."

Her heart almost stopped and her breathe was caught up in her lungs. Oh, bad for the heart and lungs. Calm down, calm down... _Calm down! _She yelled inside her head. Knowing that a blush was about to creep up her cheeks, Rima quickly turned away from Shiki. Stupid... Stupid.

Oh! Perfect timing to change the awkward atmosphere into a normal one. Rima remembered one thing that she found strange that day: Shiki was hiding something, it was certainly suspicious. Great, she had to thank her good memory this time.

And so, Rima began her interrogating session with the poor prince who was left with no choice but to go along with her. However, their session just ended up with more mysteries for the orange-haired girl to think about.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Rima folded her arms across her chest, as she pouted by herself in her room. What was with him? She was even more sure now that there was something that Shiki was not telling her. But why? Was it too much of a privacy? If so, then he shouldn't go around the castle emitting that suspicious aura in him! It made her curious now, it was his fault. How long was he planning to make her feel this fidgety? Irritating.

_Knock, knock_.

Hearing the knock on the door, Rima jerked her head towards the wooden surface beside the bed she was sitting at.

"Lady Rima! It's Takashi at your service, may I come in?"

Oh? Rima raised an eyebrow. What another good timing.

"Yes miss Takapi, please come in."

"It's Takashi, little lady."

Ugh. Rima seriously thought Takapi is a better name than Takashi... Okay, that was a little rude of her...

The head maid then came in immediately, her face plastered with an unusually cheery smile. Alright, more of like a grin if to describe properly. What was going on with people this day? She felt weird... She then stood up and walked to the head maid...

"Miss Takashi, can I ask something? Why does Shiki act a bit off...? And why are you grinning that much?"

Then the granny's wrinkled face that was shouting happiness seconds ago suddenly turned into that serious one, hazel eyes glued to hers. Uh, what? Was it stupid asking what she asked?

"L-lady Rima. You do _not_ know?"

What's with the tone like she should naturally know about it?! What? Was she the only one who didn't know? Really? That wasn't funny!

"No, damn. What should I know? No one is telling me anything."

"Young master Senri didn't-?"

"Obviously not, miss Takashi."

"Oh my! How could young master not let her beloved fiancee know about his birthday?!"

"I'm not his fiancee!"

_Hm_..._?_ No no no. That wasn't what she should pay attention to. Birthday? Shiki's birthday?

"Lady Rima, young master Senri's birthday is three days from now. The Madame is planning to prepare a celebration for her son, along with the official engagement celebration for both of you."

Shiki's birthday was three days from now? Grand Celebration... and...

She thought she heard something unnecessary just now.

"Miss Takashi... Shiki's birthday celebration and what?"

"Young master and Lady Rima's engagement celebration. It is to be announced the same date of my young master's birth-"

"Wait! I didn't hear anything about that? We're not even a couple. We're not lovers. In short, we're nothing like that!"

"Oh Lady Rima, you don't have to be shy. Madame already approved of you and her son, isn't that great ...Hmm...?"

Miss Takashi looked around. Where did the lady go? _She was in front of me just a while ago. Oh! Maybe she is too excited that she wanted to see the young master right away. How nice it is to be young!_

The huge grin was back to the head maid's face. She would just leave the bath towel and dress on the bed for the lady. Takashi hummed in a playful tune that sounded like a child's song while doing so.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Hanari looked down on the bright green tiles that composed the floor of the scary room she was currently in. Oh please! Not that strict scary woman again! She wanted to cry out loud and shout for help from her beloved prince messenger. She had her hands on her lap, gripping her dress tighter every second.

"Hah! That serves you right my stupid sister. You helped that dirty girl, now you are in her place!" Nanami stuck out her tongue at Hanari, while the latter only glared and pouted.

It wasn't Rima's fault. Hanari smiled inwardly as she remembered her prince Hayashirou's face. He was gentle, kind, sweet... He even taught me how to make a pancake! Her mother never taught her anything, only how to smile perfectly in front of rich and influential people. Oh how she wanted to cry. Her selfish elder sister wasn't helping either, she continued on saying absurd things that Hanari covered her ears with both her palms.

"Oh sister, you're just jealous because Rima got the prince! And that I got to be with a man earlier than you! Hmph!"

"What did you say?! Y-y-you... Little brat!"

"Ouch! Shister mah ngose, ouuuwh that'sh mah ngose! Let gohh!"

Nanami was pinching Hanari's nose as Hanari grabbed her sister's hair, then they continued arguing like children fighting over a leftover fried chicken. It was that until a stout woman with her yellow gold hair tied in a pony tail on top of her head appeared by the entrance of the room, yelling something the two sisters didn't get to hear clearly.

"You two! Didn't you hear me? Who is the one to be disciplined this time?"

Nanami and Hanari pointed at each other. The woman raised one eyebrow before she took her stick out.

"So no one wants to admit huh? I guess I should discipline the both of you-"

However, the moment the woman walked close to the two sisters, Hanari pushed Nanami to the scary woman and she ran for her life.

"Wai... Hanariiiiiiiii!"

She could only hear her sister's desperate yell behind her, then the strict woman's lectures about how she would discipline the elder first, then the younger later. Too bad, Hanari hadn't had the intention of going back to that disciplinary room. She realized that no one but herself could help her clear things. So she decided she would explain everything to her mother no matter what and she'd make it clear about their bond that was in question for her. Then she would let her mother know that she loved someone, this time, not an illusion but a true one.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Rima forgot that she still didn't know or remember where Shiki's room was... Luckily though, they bumped into each other at the corridor that was connected to Rima's room. With the look of it, Shiki seemed like he was heading to her room... Now, this was her chance.

"Shiki, did you know about it?"

"What?"

A question for a question. Rima sighed.

"You didn't tell me anything... neither about your birthday nor about the... the engagement party..." Shiki's eyes widened and Rima felt as if she said something ridiculous.

"I know, I didn't say anything about my birthday but... What? Did you say engagement?"

"Are you deaf?" Though Rima shouldn't have the right to say this because she had the exact same reaction earlier. But still...

"Uh... No? No, wait. Engagement? Since when did you and my mother got close to each other?"

Shiki was teasing her! Idiot, idiot Shiki. She was serious alright? Rima put her hands on her head and shook it. This wasn't happening, this wasn't happening. How could they be engaged that fast? No way! They weren't even a couple. Yes, they indeed kiss, but that was out of question since it was one-sided-on Shiki's part- and Rima wasn't sure if she was ready to be purely honest to her feelings. After all, they only met like... a few days ago? A week ago? She couldn't recall anymore because right now, her mind was clouded with too much things that frustrated her.

"Shiki, no. Your mother and I didn't meet yet, I didn't know about it, that's why I was asking you if you know it, you're really an idiot. So? You don't know about it too, but why? Why did your mother decide for that?"

"...I honestly don't know Rima. Where did you hear that from?"

"Miss Takashi."

"I see... Well, I'll talk to my mother. I know you aren't considering me as your man...yet."

_Yet_ was unnecessary! Rima blushed as she looked away. It wasn't that she was rejecting the idea. It was just that she felt that they should know more of each other first. Anyway, she wanted to do something about his birthday first... Rima took a quick glance at Shiki but instantly regretted it. He was staring at her like she would disappear were he to blink even just once. She couldn't move, neither could she take her eyes off of his too. This was what she hated the most. She hated how he made her feel vulnerable under his gaze, she hated how he made her feel like she was a precious glass that needed to be handled with care, she hated how he made her heart beat fast every time he looked at her like that... She hated how deep inside... he could convince her that it was okay to feel weak at times.

Rima wanted to break the silence, she couldn't take this -

"?!"

Her body stiffened as she felt her body being enveloped with warmth. Shiki was embracing her, gently, lightly... There was a brief pause before he spoke.

"Rima... Don't worry. I won't do anything weird to you again, I... I know you want to feel comfortable with me first, before you consider us couple. So... Please allow me to take your hand and make you my wife... and kiss you when you're ready enough. For now, just let me hug you."

...

"... Shiki..."

He really was something. To make her feel lots of new different emotions within just a short period of time... Rima thought she could never ever get this man away from her anymore. They stood there, only the sound of their breathing occupying the silent world they created for themselves as the petite girl returned the prince's embrace.

* * *

There is one thing I really wish about this fic... that is, the humor. And romance. I hope it still blends in well, with all the random things that was put in this fic.

Have a good day/night to all of you! Thank you for reading, any reviews are welcome but please don't flame. Constructive Criticism is much appreciated.

~Terru


	15. Chapter 15: Piece

A/N: This is the last chapter to this fanfic. I finally got to finish this... too many things happened that I couldn't manage this for a very long time. Well, even now I have problems and stresses but I really couldn't abandon the fic so at my very best... I wrote this last chapter. I'm not sure if this satisfies the readers but, to me this is the best I can pull.

Thank you so much to everyone who supported/supports this fanfic, I am truly happy and grateful to all of you. Well then! : )

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Vampire Knight Anime/Manga, nor do I own Cinderella too. All rights belong to Matsuri Hino and the respective copyright owners. I only thought of the cinderella vampire idea.

* * *

"... Shiki..."

He really was something. To make her feel lots of new different emotions within just a short period of time... Rima thought she could never ever get this man away from her anymore. They stood there, only the sound of their breathing occupying the silent world they created for themselves as the petite girl returned the prince's embrace.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Chapter 15:

Missing Piece Found

She'd been thinking about it the whole day, tomorrow it'd be Shiki's birthday. Rima was still a bit disappointed that he didn't tell her about it but as he explained, he just didn't want to be a bother because he knew that she was already thinking of too much things. But then, Rima went ahead and headbutted him, ow that hurt actually however she was satisfied with Shiki's reaction. Apparently, he was wrong with what he assumed.

Rima didn't have anything to give him, let alone a money with her to buy any thing for him. She never remembered celebrating birthday parties... maybe when she was still very young and her father was still alive, they celebrated her birthday together but then that'd be herself, that was out of question. She was talking about someone else's birthday. Rima shook her head and walked closer to the window, the sun that was shining brightly earlier had hidden itself and the blue sky turned into a grayish one; night took its turn to let people know that the day was soon to be over. At exactly twelve o'clock in the midnight, it'd be a new day for everyone and it'd be the idiot prince's day. She still couldn't figure out what to do...

Alright, so she guessed Shiki was right. Finding out about his birthday just occupied her fully loaded mind even more but there was no regret. How would she face him if she didn't even get to greet him on his day? Rima stared at the view outside the window. Few more seconds and she saw few number of guards taking their turns to walk around the castle for security. On top of their heads were huge tall circular hats with red feather on the right side. They were wearing black suits that made them look like they were going to attend a party. The swords that were hanging on their waist sides were the only ones to emit the aura of guards. There was one thing that caught Rima's attention though.

_What are those shining yellowish? green lights on the sheathes of their swords?_

She placed her palms against the window as she focused her eyes on their shining weapons. Her room was on the third floor so she had to focus to see. She ended up in a conclusion that those could be designed for anyone to identify the guards. Especially at night when it was dark... Oh yeah, a very clever idea huh?

Hmm. But that wasn't what was keeping her from eying those green lights. Why did it feel as if she saw something similar before... Yellowish green... Sparkling yellowish green...

"Ah."

_Fireflies_...

Rima got it. It was from that place where Shiki brought her that night. That was the time he bit her, but that was not the point. Those beautiful sparkling yellow... green lights... Rima smiled just a little bit. She finally knew what to give him.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

His mother really had this habit of doing things without the consent of others. When he went to his mother's room and talked to her about the engagement, she looked at him as if he was speaking against an obvious thing. Well he could say that there was a sense with what his mother decided this time but still... it should be him deciding for that. So he talked to her about it and convinced her to cancel the idea. Fortunately, she hadn't sent out invitations yet for both his birthday and the engagement celebration-she probably planned to do so tomorrow, she loved rushing things-. To be honest, Shiki wanted his birthday this time to be within his family only. Him, his mother, Rima, their head maid who was like a grandma to them...

He told her mother about it. Fortunately, although his mother argued with him about it at first, she eventually gave in to Shiki's request.

Good that he convinced her, kind of. Surely in his country, a prince's birthday wasn't supposed to be one to be kept from the public but only this time. He wanted to feel reassured of his family's bond, that was all.

After Shiki left his mother's room, he headed directly towards Rima's room. But when he arrived there, she was nowhere.

_Where is she?_

Thinking that the head maid might know something, he began heading towards the castle's culinary room. As expected, Miss Takashi was there, ordering around the chefs to prepare the foods for the dinner. She looked busier than usual... He was about to call her when she saw him first then she immediately greeted him with a big grin on her face. The rest of the chefs also bowed and greeted him. He nodded at them before turning to the granny in front of him.

"Do you know where Rima is?"

"Oh young master, you miss her already I see, hm isn't she in her room?"

Shiki missed her...? He didn't say anything for a short while. He put his hands on each side of his pants' pockets.

"No, she isn't in her room. I'm pretty sure she doesn't know the way around yet... I'll go look for her, if you see her please tell her to go back to her room and wait for me there. Thank you." The prince smiled at the granny who smiled back while answering _Yes_, _young master._

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Shiki raised an eyebrow. When he went back to her room, she was indeed there waiting for him. Waiting for him while... sleeping? Not. She fell asleep waiting for him? Probably.

He let himself walk near the bed where the petite girl was lying down on her side. She was facing his direction so he had the chance to look at her sleeping form. She had this peaceful expression as if she was dreaming of something too good. Her pale skin took contrast with her black one piece dress. He was mesmerized for a moment before taking a sit on the bed, careful not to wake her up. He looked at her again and thought she looked cute when sleeping like that. Of course, she was originally cute even when awoke but there was something special when he could look freely at her when she was this sound asleep.

Her orange hair was left untied, letting him realize how actually long her hair was. But it looked smooth and nice to touch. With a smile on his face, he reached his right hand to her head. He hesitated for a moment, not sure if he was really allowed to do what he was about to do. But seeing nothing wrong with it, he went ahead and took strands of her hair, letting them flow through between his fingers. Was it wrong of him to wish she'd never leave his side?

_Rima_.

_I barely know you yet..._

_so why do you have this kind of influence on me?_

Shiki stopped his hand that caressed her hair. Then he brought that hand to hers, and took a hold of it, gently... carefully... Her small hands were soft against his big ones, and he checked her face again. No hint of her waking up. Shiki chuckled inwardly. He found it funny how his heart was beating faster every second. It was as though he was doing something forbidden. He then looked at her longer before bringing his face down to their tangled hands. He lifted her hand a bit and dropped a kiss on her palm.

He could tell her about the news tomorrow. Letting go of her hand, he smiled before standing up to leave.

...

...

...

Uhm... What was she supposed to feel at the moment?

...

Her heart was beating louder now that she thought it was going to explode. What did that idiot Shiki do? Somebody, tell her that she was allowed to move already because she couldn't seem to move. She was frozen, hello? Anyone?

...

Alright, first she needed to calm her heart down. There was nothing to be nervous about okay, okay? See, he didn't do anything awkward, okay he may have done something after all. Why couldn't she open her eyes now? Hello again, Rima speaking here. Please tell this poor girl what was a must-do to a heart exceeding its limit of speeding up. It might really explode and she didn't want that. She still wanted to live.

...

Right. Enough with the exaggeration. Honestly. How shameful for her to act like this. Look, she could move after all. Hm? Wait, why was she seeing herself lying on the bed? If she was lying on the bed... Then how could she see herself, especially when her eyes were closed? Something was weird. Definitely, there was something weird.

...

...

_Don't tell me I'm dead and this is my spirit looking down at myself_?!

Rima shook her head violently and that was the last thing she remembered she did that night.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

Sitting up straight in an instant, Rima looked around to see if everything was back to normal. She looked at her own hands, check. She touched her face, head, check. Her dress, her legs, nothing was missing, check.

Oh what a bad dream!

She couldn't believe it. It made her feel like she wouldn't want to sleep ever again...

Did vampires dream such things? That was the weirdest dream she ever had. Not to mention, it was kinda freaky. She sighed, what a way to start the morning. _Morning_. She jerked her head to look at the window. The curtain was keeping the light to directly reach the room inside, but the obvious bright light was the proof itself that it was indeed morning already. She recollected what happened the night...

. . .

Gyahhhhh!

. . .

A blush crept up her face as she recalled her and Shiki's _little_ moment yesterday night. That sounded bad. But of course no, it wasn't bad. The idiot prince just had to give her heart attack. And more heart attack as someone suddenly knocked on the door, and it just had to be him.

"Rima. Can I -?"

"Rima is outside currently."

"..."

Shiki opened the door and stepped inside.

"Oh Shiki, why didn't you knock? That scared me you know."

"... I knocked. I even called. And you even answered."

"W-what? I don't know such thing."

"And why wouldn't you face me?"

With nothing to argue with that, Rima turned to face him. He was looking at her like she was a ghost from some horror movie. What? Did she look that terrible? She knew she hadn't tied her hair yet, she just woke up after all and no doubt, her dress was probably messy.

"Rima, what's wrong?"

_What's wrong? Why, you got no clue?_

Oh how she wanted to say that so bad. However, she couldn't. Because if she did, then he'd knew that she was actually awake when he did _that_. No! she didn't intend to do that, she was going to open her eyes when she woke up but when she felt that he sat beside her, she couldn't open her eyes anymore. Then she thought she'd just pretend sleeping, but then he had to pat her head like that, more over, he had to hold her hand and, and he had to kiss her innocent palm. Why, it was his fault that she fell asleep waiting for him! How long did it take him looking for her? Maybe during his search for her, he had chitchats with anyone she couldn't care who... Nevertheless, it was really his fault right? When Rima happened to pass by the kitchen yesterday, the granny maid called out to her and said that the prince was looking for her and that she had to wait in her room. And she just did what was told. But as hours passed, she had already ate the dinner miss Takashi brought to her, took a bath, changed clothes, stared up in the ceiling... Basically, it took him that long to come that she just fell asleep.

Maybe he ate his dinner first, or did other things but that couldn't take him very long right...? Or it just felt long for her while it was really not? Anyway it wasn't her intention to pretend sleeping! Oh, what did he want with her anyway?

...

Now she didn't know what to think first. _Calm down_. She had to calm down first.

"What did you want yesterday ...? Sorry, I think I fell asleep..."

"Ah yeah, you did. You had such a cute face when sleeping, you looked lovab-"

_Thoink_.

"Ow."

_T-this idiot_!

Rima threw a pillow on his face. She had her poker face back on, and she folded her arms across her chest. How could he say those things like it was normal? Rima could not even breathe properly whenever he was too close to her...

"So, what did you want to say?"

"Yeah... The engagement announcement and celebration is canceled. I managed to convince my mother that we don't want to rush things."

"I see..."

They kind of rushed things at first though since Shiki kissed her already... But then that was unintentional as Shiki explained. Rima nodded and looked at the idiotic prince. Was she forgetting something? Shiki, hm. Shiki? Ceremony? Birthday ceremony! It was his birthday. She widened her eyes for a second. Oh, wait. She didn't need to worry about it, after all, she already knew what to do for him. Good.

~ X ~ X ~ X ~

"Mother, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for Senri? This is what you chose, I'm merely letting you do your play."

The head maid chuckled a little bit. Her master could have just been honest with herself. She could really be a tsundere. Takashi chuckled even more. My, my, she wouldn't answer anyone when asked how she knew about the term tsundere.

Rima stayed silent as the four of them gathered in a round table. It wasn't small, but not big enough to separate them from each other too afar. It wasn't like those long tables she saw in a huge room, this one was mostly designed for small gatherings of a family like this, she thought. Rima was swallowed in her train of thoughts as she couldn't help but feel awkward. She felt like she wasn't supposed to be there. On top of that, she couldn't dare look at Shiki's mother. She just kept her head low. That, until the queen herself spoke her name.

Rima jolted her head and in an instant, her eyes were captivated by the queen's beautiful crimson eyes. That was her natural color of eyes? Being a vampire... She still hadn't gotten used to it and she thought it felt strange, Rima felt attached to the queen's eyes.

"Y-yes, your majesty."

"Oh no, don't call me like that. It feels weird having my son's woman call me that way. Just call me your queen."

_Shiki's woman_... _Feels weird_ -_Wait_, "My queen?"

"Mother."

"A joke, Senri. Just call me whatever you feel like to."

Could it be that the queen was as playful as Shiki was? What was the difference between your majesty and my queen anyway? She couldn't figure out. But what? Call her whatever she felt like to? That was even more frustrating! How could she possibly know what to call her! She was a queen, it was normal to call her the appropriate calling. Just that the idiot Shiki seemed to want her to drop the queen and commoner act. Now how could she possibly do that!

"Tell me, Rima. I heard from my son that you are a Touya. So you're from the Touya clan then?"

"I... Uhm... Lady queen―

I don't remember anything much because my father died when I was still very young and from then, my memory of being a vampire faded..."

"Touya Clan. It was... a huge influential clan. One of the biggest modeling company in our country was owned by the Touya."

Rima doubted her ears. A company?

"Modeling company?"

What was that? And Touya clan owned it? Rima took a glance at Shiki who looked back at her. Miss Takashi was eating one piece of pork but Rima knew she was also listening to them. She didn't hear anything about such company before.

"Yes, but it said to have been crashed down because of bankruptcy and that the president of the company just went missing for unknown reasons. No one still know about it even now. It was the biggest mystery of the Touya clan."

Rima blinked. The president went missing. That could be her father. After he had gone missing, about a month passed and she was told about the horrible news of her father being found dead. But that was past. Whatever happened, she didn't want to find out anything anymore. Her father gave her that medicine for a reason. He was protecting her from something. She wouldn't waste his effort and she wouldn't let his death be nothing. She knew he was in peace somewhere now. Also... she didn't want to look back anymore.

"Lady queen, thank you," mumbled Rima as she bowed her head.

The queen only looked at her.

Rima smiled a bit, and was really grateful for the small information. Her father was a gentle man. He would always carry her on his shoulder when she was small. He would tell her bedtime stories, he would always smile at her and those alone were enough to make her feel enlighten whenever she felt down.

. . .

. . .

. . .

Shiki's wish was to celebrate his birthday with only him, his mother, Rima and his grandmother-figure; Takashi. His mother granted that. Shiki smiled as he walked in the corridor connected to his room. Rima was beside him. After the little gathering the four had, the girl tugged on his shirt and gestured for him to follow her. He had no idea what she was thinking... so he just followed her. But then the next thing he realized was that they were going downstairs. _To first floor._

Shiki was confused now. Rima suddenly stopped when they reached the last step of the stairs.

"Shiki, we're going outside."

"What?"

"You heard me."

But Rima wasn't walking forward. Ah she didn't know the way. Shiki didn't know why they were suddenly going outside but he thought it might not be bad, especially when it was Rima who invited him. He took her hand in him before starting to walk again, leading the way. Rima didn't reject him, which deep down he felt happy with.

As they reached the door, Shiki told the guards to let them pass. They hesitated but in the end, they let him and Rima through.

...

...

The two of them stayed quiet, but this time their position was opposite. Rima was leading the way, with her hand holding his. He couldn't see her expression, he could only look at her small back. How long had passed already since they left the palace? Shiki was busy looking at Rima, the tranquility felt pleasant. Neither of them uttering any single word as they walked and walked. He no longer saw their surrounding, because at the moment, Rima was the only one visible in his eyes.

He was too busy thinking how he fell for this girl, that he didn't notice Rima stopped walking. And so, he bumped into her back.

"Oww, Shiki, what are you doing?"

Rima turned to him, and he looked at her.

"You suddenly stopped."

"That's... well, we're here."

Shiki blinked a few times before he looked around, his eyes slowly widening at the process. His sharp eyesight in the night due to vampire nature and added the moon that was shining upon the dark field, he could clearly saw what was in there. Countless small yellow green lights were gathering around them. Shiki saw a small pond few meters away from them, the place looked oddly familiar.

...

Oh yes, this place was...

"...Rima..."

"I-I'm sorry, but this is all I can do. I don't have anything to give you as present so-"

"No... I... Rima..."

Rima looked at him for few seconds before looking away, Shiki saw her cheeks turning red. Words escaped his throat.

"I just wanted to say thank you, Shiki... I was supposed to live as a human but it didn't feel right anyway... when I was with my stepmother. So me, remembering what I really was... maybe it was a fate that we met. Even though I know that my father had purpose why he wanted me to forget my nature... I think, if he's still alive... He'd be happy for me now that I finally found my freedom."

Shiki held both her hands tightly. With this, Rima moved her gaze to him. Then he gently pulled her. She flinched but slowly relaxed inside his arms.

"Thank you... Rima."

It was an unforgettable birthday to him.

Ah, correction; It was the best birthday for him. His mother granted his request, and Rima gave him this pleasant memory as a gift. Rima's feelings certainly reached him. He really would never ever let go of this girl. If for her, she found her freedom... To him, he finally found the missing piece to fulfill the empty shell he once had become.

* * *

I'm sorry it wasn't long... and I hope the whole fic made sense now that it is complete. Oh yes, Rima somehow remembered the way to that place. Her senses? Up to your imagination... Thank you so much everyone for reading! Any reviews are welcome, constructive criticisms are appreciated of course. ^^

Have a good day/night to everyone.

~Terru


End file.
